by Donna Hey
A HUGE thank you to Nolde Forest for hosting, and to EVERYONE who came out to volunteer and/or participate in the race this year! I do not believe there is any way that I can truly express my gratitude at the way our running community comes together to pull off events like this so smoothly.
Run For the Ages has a rolling start that begins with the 75+ women at 8:30 am and ends 20 groups later at 9:05 with 2 age groups of 20-year-old men. This group is called the ‘ringers’. This year our runners ranged in age from 15 to 82.
In order to win this race, later-starting participants need to chase down and pass all the earlier-starting competitors. Early starters need to hold onto their lead time. This year’s race had 3 ringers (we need to work on building that group) and 117 finishers. The 3 ringers placed 12th, 14th, and 23rd overall, not quite overtaking all of the competition, but giving it a great shot! Dylan Servis won the coveted “Nolde Pottery Turtle” by placing 12th overall and having the fastest course time of 43:18.
It’s always fun to be at the finish to see who held their lead and who outran the most people. The results never cease to impress. The top ten finishers of this race were:
- Bonnie Stoeckl – start time 8:40
- Fernando Moura – Start time 8:43
- Don Morrison – Start time 8:43
- Raine Fussner – Start time 8:48
- Gert Freas – Start time 8:44
- Jim Blandford – Start time 8:58
- Steve Dvorchak – Start time 9:00
- Cole Casadei – Start time 9:00
- Brian Stoltzfus – Start time 8:55
- Karin Tursack – Start time 8:53
The Pacers and Nolde friends would like to again thank Ted Andrus, the founder of Run For the Ages, for his generous donation of 2 Southwest airline round trip passes. This year’s winner was Megan Robinson.
Thanks again to everyone for creating a great race experience and raising funds to support the Friends of Nolde Forest.
Looking forward to next year. Mark your calendars now: Sunday, June 26, 2022.
Pagoda Pacers News 