for community and other events. The project cost $2 million and was funded through State Parks Capital Funds, the Environmental Protection Fund and support from the Friends of the Walkway. Events and incidents The first footrace on the walkway occurred the day after the official opening on October 4, 2009. The 5k race started on the Highland side, crossed to the Poughkeepsie side and turned around at the parking lot and finished back in Highland. The race was won by James Boeding in a time of 16:26. The female winner was Kira DiCaprio in 20:12. There were 660 recorded finishers of the race. The 5K race, called "Treetops to Rooftops," has become an annual event, organized by the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club. The inaugural Walkway Marathon was held on June 13, 2015, with full and half marathons and a 5K run. A new addition in 2016 was the Think Differently Dash, a one-mile race for people with physical and developmental disabilities. On May 15, 2010, LEDs were turned on for the first time, designed to allow nighttime use of the bridge, though due to funding limitations this is expected to only be used on special occasions. Some 3,000 people paid $5 apiece to attend the sold-out ceremony. Crowd management presented a problem, prompting criticism and an apology from walkway organizational leaders, but ultimately no incident or injury. Though typically closed at sunset each day, the walkway often has events after sundown. Some of these openings (such as for Independence Day and in December) include fireworks displays. In July 2012, in a photograph taken from the walkway, an amateur photographer captured what the New York Daily News described as a "breathtaking juxtaposition" capturing fireworks and a bolt of lightning in the same image. Some of the nighttime events have featured members of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association, who have provided telescopes for public viewing of the moon, stars, and planets from the walkway, along with lectures by local astronomer Bob Berman. On January 21, 2017, a march was held there as part of the worldwide 2017 Women's March the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as president, drawing an estimated 5,000 participants, extending the entire length of the walkway. See also Poughkeepsie Bridge Route Mount Carmel District List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York List of fixed crossings of the Hudson River References External links