Greg Selke, 25, of North Chili and Trisha Byler, 31, of Rochester were the top male and female runners for the 13.1-mile half marathon that took place Sunday morning. For full results, photos, and information on next year’s event, visit www.lucyrace.com.

The Lucy Town Half Marathon & 5K race weekend has attracted participants from across the country annually since its creation in 2013, including both elite runners and Lucy fans alike.

The inaugural year was headlined by Martin Short, and during the 2014 race weekend, Jamestown welcomed comedian Bob Newhart and paid tribute to the iconic I Love Lucy grape stomping scene as 1,232 people set a new world record for most people treading grapes.

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The 2015 Lucy Town Half Marathon and 5K race will take place Oct. 10 and 11 in Jamestown, NY. (Image courtesy of www.LucyRace.com)

The Lucy Town Half Marathon and Univera 5K is taking place this weekend in Jamestown, NY and the weather forecast appears to be near-perfect weather for the event. The forecast is calling for Sunny weather throughout the weekend, with temperatures in the upper 50s on Saturday for the 5K race and kids 2K race and in the low to mid 60s for Sunday’s half marathon.

The event is being organized by the National Comedy Center and Lucy-Desi Center. Executive Director Journey Gunderson said the two races were created in 2013 and designed to not only promote Lucille Ball’s Hometown, but also provide a healthy and active way to do it.

“I think the catalyst for it was Lou Depas (from our board of directors) and and Dave Reinhardt (formerly of Chautauqua Striders and who now operates races as an independent contractor),” Gunderson told WRFA during a recent interview [listen]. “They’ve witnessed great races in other communities and saw the impact that it had, and we were looking to expand our year-round programming, in terms of comedy, so we thought let’s join forces, let’s put something together that gives people a couple of reasons to come to Jamestown.”

Gunderson says that so far registration for both races is doing well, adding that there is still time for participants to register if they haven’t already done so.

JOY BEHAR AT THE REG LENNA SATURDAY NIGHT

The weekend of events will also include a performance by nationally known television host and long-time stand up comedian Joy Behar, best known for her work on The View.

Joy Behar

Behar told WRFA during an interview earlier this week that its an honor to be performing in Lucille Ball’s hometown.

“I grew up with Lucy, like a lot of people and I basically couldn’t go to sleep until her show was over,” Behar said. “It’s interesting that the show is still on the air. People can still see that that comedy has held up over the years… I think she’s in the top five greats. Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball -those are the names that I think hold up for over a century.”

Behar also says she thinks having a National Comedy Center in Jamestown is something that will be a success.

“Cooperstown seems to do okay with the Baseball Hall of Fame, and then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland seems to do well,” Behar said, adding, “Not everybody can always come to New York City. There are places you want to visit in this country. So I think [the Comedy Center] is sort of a destination for people and I think it will work.”

Behar will be performing at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Saturday night. Tickets are still available for the show by calling the Reg Lenna box office at 716.484.7070 or visiting www.lucyrace.com.

To register for either race, visit www.lucyrace.com for race registration and additional information.

The event will not only feature a half marathon on Sunday, Oct. 11, but will also involve a 5K and Kids 2K event on Oct. 10. Plus there will be a live stand up comedy performance by television talk show host and comedian Joy Behar. Her performance will take place on Saturday night at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.

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Lucy Desi Center director Journey Gunderson says that preregistration for the race, now in its third year, is the best they’ve seen yet, meaning there will likely be a record number of participants in what has quickly become one of the area’s most popular running competitions.

In addition to participating in the race, Gunderson is also encouraging the community and visitors to attend the stand up comedy show featuring Behar. Gunderson says that some may not realize that Behar made her living as a stand-up comedian for 15 years before moving to television.

Joy Beher

“She was a comedian before she was a television personality and that is something we want to celebrate,” Gunderson told WRFA in an Oct. 2 interview. “She’s somebody who has made a living as a stand up comedian – which is not an easy thing to do, and was so popular that mainstream television plucked her and said we want you to be in viewers’ homes daily as a host, and apply that off the cuff humor. And of course we love funny redheads here in Jamestown.”

Behar has received an Emmy award for her performance on “The View”, where she was a member of the cast for 16 years.

Registration information for the race or ticket information for the Joy Behar show can be found online at LucyRace.com or by calling 716.484.7070.