Have you ever been at a road race when the announcer asks the crowd how many times you’ve run the race by raising your hand? Well, the announcer’s asking is exactly what happened for those who ran this morning (10:45 am start time to get as many folks coming off the ferries a chance to reach the starting line.)
Many hands shot up from the crowd when asked if they had returned from last year. The announcer then asked, "what about five years?" Hands were still raised in the air. By the time the announcer asked for those who had been coming to the race for 20, 25, and 30 years, many hands went down — a crowd of 500 or so. At the 30+ year mark, with my hand still raised up I started to look around behind me since I was toward the front.
Lo and behold, my friend Jodie had her hand up like me! She shouted out to the announcer that it’s our BG (Bowling Green) State University Alumni Track & Cross Country Girls that keep coming back (now with husbands and families) when I shouted out right behind her statement, “GO BG!”
The crowd went wild! A couple of seconds later, the gun went off for the start of the 5K! With brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies, the couple hundred runners and walkers let it all out on the shore of Lake Erie on the out and back course.
So how did we do? A new age group for me this year afforded me to place second. Bill got snuffed out for a medal in the 5K, but it was our daughter Olivia who finished the third woman overall in the 10K, which also earned her a first-place her an age group. Sister-in-law Beth was an age group winner in the 10K, as well as Rosalie Franek who won her age group.
And the KI Running Club Kids did fantastically! Almost all ran the 5K, with a couple of them running both the 5K and the 1-mile fun run. Coach Jodie must be proud, as well as all the parents of the kids. It was refreshing to see all their hard work pay off.
It was a great day for all, either running, watching, or taking in the sights and sounds of Island life.
My photo is of our family gang (like a box of cats, I could not herd the others (friends) to join us - but they better next year for the 40th running!). This type of photo is a tradition every year!
