This year’s Hartshorne Masters Mile introduces The Diane Sherrer Memorial Award. It will be given to the winner of the women’s 50’s elite race. Diane, a runner and journalist passed away last May after a prolonged battle with lung cancer. Diane’s friend and fellow runner Coreen Steinbach shared these memories….

I don’t know where to begin to even tell what Diane Sherrer means to me. Diane and I had been friends for many years – we started as running competitors and ended up friends for life. She left me her Beatles collection in her will and I just received it 2 weeks ago. Our mutual love for the Beatles was something we shared as if we were young girls.

The Hartshorne Mile is an institution in my running life; something I ONLY miss if I’m injured. The prospect of Hartshorne without Diane is something I’m not looking forward to but I will, of course, run my heart out in her honor and memory.

I cannot over estimate what Diane contributed to my sport not only with her time and energy but also with her spectacular journalistic talent. She WAS the voice of running in the Southern Tier and we have always lamented that the sport just does not get covered here in Syracuse. We have frequently said it’s because we don’t have a Diane to make SURE it gets covered.

Diane fought tirelessly for parity for women in terms of prize money. She was single handedly responsible for the institution of an Elite Veterans women’s race at Hartshorne. I am so happy she lived to see that become a reality.

I did a portrait of Diane (see below) as a gift to her. She was so devastated that her disease and treatment robbed her of her athlete’s body. She told me that she felt that the painting gave that back to her in some sense. I know that when her doctor insisted she go for counseling she took the painting with her, which pretty much made me break down in tears.

The Memorial Award will be a sterling silver frame containing my painting of Diane.

Saturday will be bittersweet when Diane is not there yelling at me to “Let the dog’s loose!!”

Coreen Steinbach

Coreen’s website is www.runningart.com.

Best wishes Coreen for your race this Saturday. I hope that while your heart may be heavy that your feet will feel light and fast and that you can still hear Diane cheering you on.

Coreen Steinbach's potrait of her friend Diane Sherrer