CENTRAL OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER'S "PACING FOR PATIENTS 5K COLOR RUN (posted April 4th)

The Central Ozarks Medical Center's second annual Pacing for Patients 5K Color Run was much like the first, with a surprisingly strong turnout on a chilly, dreary Saturday morning.  Last year, sixty-eight runners and walkers turned out; this year, the number grew to 109. Thankfully, the strong storms overnight had moved out hours before the race start. (They weren't so lucky down south--the Run Bentonville Half Marathon & 5K had to delay their start by 1-1/2 hours.)

This year's overall winner was Jason Witte of Kansas City.  Jason won easily, in 22:27, nearly two minutes ahead of his closest competitor.  The winner of the women's race was a local.  Janet Lear of Camdenton finished in 25:20.

The complete race results, provided by FundRuns, can be found at the event's RunSignup page, or can be downloaded here.

It's just an observation, but with each local race, it gets a little clearer that we're seeing a new generation take up the sport of running.  These days, the race results now include many names that are completely unfamiliar to those of us who have been doing this for a long time.  We certainly welcome these newcomers. 

*   *   *   *   *

REND LAKE MARATHON, HALF MARATHON & 1/4 MARATHON (posted March 30th)

For Lake-area runners, the biggest racing news of the weekend--and of the year so far--was made at Rend Lake in Benton, Illinois, located about 100 southeast of St. Louis.

Tucker Seise was the overall winner, of 90 total competitors, at the Rend Lake Marathon on Saturday, finishing in an extraordinary 2:41:18, a pace of 6:09 per mile, and beating his personal best by over 13 minutes. Tucker's was among the fastest marathons ever run by anyone from the Lake area, with only two runners--Gary Thompson and Jeremy Ryan (now of St. Charles)  --known to have gone faster.  (Gary ran multiple marathons in the 2:21:01 to 2:26:04 range while at the peak of his racing career in the early 1980s, and Jeremy ran marathons of 2:33:45 and 2:37:54 last year alone.)

More importantly, Tucker virtually guaranteed himself entry into the 2027 Boston Marathon, after a big disappointment several years ago.  He had beaten his 2024 Boston age-group qualifying standard of 3:00:00 by 5:13 at the Big Beach Marathon in early 2023, but the cut-off time (to apply for entry) was 5:29, meaning he missed out by just 16 seconds.  By beating the 2027 qualifying standard of 2:55:00 by 13:42, he's almost assured of entry, since the cut-off times to apply have been no more than 7:47 in the last 14 years.

Congratulations, Tucker! 

Complete Rend Lake results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

THE RUNNING OF THE KNIGHTS COLOR RUN 5K & FUN RUN (posted March 30th)

A total of 70 runners and walkers turned out Sunday afternoon for The King's Academy's Running of the Knights Color Run 5K and Fun Run in Lake Ozark.

A mere one second was the margin of victory for 10 year-old Colton Ioan in the 5K.  Colton finished in 17:10, just ahead of Tim Glavin.  Betsy Spica won the women's race, in 27:52. 

Complete results can be found here.

*   *   *   *   *

Other weekend races (March 28 - 29):

While many races are seeing a resurgence of interest compared to previous years, the Run Liberty Half Marathon & 5K/10K (formerly the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon & 5K) in Sedalia continues to experience a steady decline in participation. At Saturday's race, there were 969 finishers--the lowest total in the race's eight-year history, and only half of 2020's peak of 1,976.   (Liberty Hospital merged with the University of Kansas Health System in 2024. The University's Cancer Center remains a sponsor, but the City of Liberty is now the main sponsor.)

*   *   *   *   *

2026 Archives
2025 Archives
2024 Archives
2023 Archives
2022 Archives
2021 Archives
2020 Archives
2019 Archives
2018 Archives
2017 Archives
2016 Archives
2015 Archives
2014 Archives
2013 Archives
2012 Archives
2011 Archives
2010 Archives
2009 Archives

*   *   *   *  *

BRIDGE AND DAM HALF MARATHON & 5K/10K (posted March 12th)

The twelfth annual Bridge and Dam Half Marathon, 10K & 5K (Facebook page) is happening on Saturday, April 11th, in Lake Ozark. All races start at 7:30 a.m. at the Bagnell Dam scenic overlook.

Visit the race's website to get all of the event details.

If you can't race, please consider volunteering.  It's easy, rewarding, and helps makes this race possible. Sign up by sending an e-mail to heyguys@fundruns.org.

Online registration is available here. (Online registration closes on Wednesday night; after that, you can still register in person at packet pickup, or on race morning.)

Check out who's already registered here.

*   *   *   *   *

LAKE OF THE OZARKS ENDURANCE RUNS  (posted April 4th)

The Trail of Four Winds 25K trail race, LOZ Traverse 35-mile trail run/paddling race, and Wandering Bobcat 5-mile trail race will take place at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park on Saturday, May 2nd.

For all the race details and registration information, please visit the event's UltraSignup page, Ha Ha Racing Event's website, or the Lake of the Ozarks Endurance Runs' Facebook page.  Slots are currently available for all three races.

*   *   *   *   *