HEROES FOR AUTISM 5K & ONE-MILE (posted July 21st)

The seventh annual Heroes for Autism event, held at Queeny Park in suburban St. Louis, had 121 participants, including five 5K finishers from Linn Creek.  The event was a benefit for the Freddie Ford Family Foundation, which raises awareness and acceptance of autism, and supports families impacted by it.

Nick Thomas, Cainen Thomas, Errika Thomas, Kim Sovcik and Anna Sinden walked and finished together, in 1:07:00, give or take a second.

Complete results are posted here.

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Other race results:

The Run for a Vet Half Marathon & 5K, which was postponed due to flooding in the Branson area in April, took place on Saturday. Three Lake-area runners were registered for the half marathon, but the posted race results appear to be incomplete, and their results aren't listed.

This time of year, I usually keep an eye out for the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon results.  The race is usually held in mid to late July but, much to my surprise, this year's race was held two weeks ago.  Of this year's 99 starters, 93 made it to the finish line within the 48-hour time limit.  (That was the highest finishing rate since 2012.)  Three finishers deserve some mention:  Pete Kostelnick, a past winner but who's had some setbacks since then, returned and took third overall, finishing in 22:42:42--about an hour behind the winner.  Harvey Lewis, a past competitor who's more famous for his Big Dog's Backyard Ultra prowess, was seventh overall. Long-time race veteran Bill Becker wore bib #80--to match his age--and owns the record as the oldest finisher in Badwater. He finished in 45:00:06, placing 86th.

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MR340: Every year, there are fascinating stories--few of which get much publicity--that come out of the Missouri American Water 340, the 340-mile paddling race from Kansas City to St. Charles on the Missouri River.

The top solo finisher at last week's race was Salli O'Donnell. Salli has competed in the MR340 nine times. Five of those have been solo entries, and she was the top female in all five. She also holds the women's course record--39 hours and 25 minutes. The Alabama native has an impressive athletic background that started as a collegiate gymnast and swimmer, moved on to running (she's done the Berlin Marathon and long trail races), and then, when knee injuries forced her to take up something else, settled on long-distance paddling. She's a multi-year finisher of the Alabama 650 (kilometer) race.

In a more offbeat story from this year's race, two Jefferson City paddlers towed their canoe--by bike--from Jefferson City to Kansas City for the start of the race, paddled the entire race--with their bikes stowed onboard--and then towed the canoe back home from St. Charles by bike. (It's hard enough pedaling the Katy Trail bearing just your body weight and gear. Towing a heavy canoe behind you would be insane.) The Jefferson City News Tribune published a story about their adventure.

Go here to see all of the race and links.  The Facebook page has lots of photos and stories.

There were no Lake-area participants at this year's race.  We've had locals compete, but iI's been quite a few years since then.

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JEFFERSON CITY ROADRUNNERS' 4th OF JULY FIRECRACKER MILE (posted July 7th)

The Jefferson City Roadrunners continued their long tradition of holding a free, no medals, no shirts, no frills, one-mile race on the 4th of July. This year's Firecracker Mile had 55 competitors toe the starting line, and Tucker Seise took second overall, finishing in 4:50. Tucker crossed the finish line 16 seconds behind a 23 year-old former high school and collegiate cross country runner, Jenson Starr of Jefferson City.

Complete results can be found here.

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CHRISTMAS IN JULY 5K RUN/WALK (posted May 19th)

The Tri-County YMCA's eighth annual Christmas in July 5K Run/Walk will be held at the YMCA in Osage Beach on Saturday, July 26th. To beat the July heat, the race will start at 7:00 a.m., with race-day registration opening at 5:30 a.m.

The entry fee is $30 through June 30th, and $35 thereafter. T-shirts can only be guaranteed to those who register by June 30th.

The link to online registration isn't yet working.

Click for a mail-in registration form with additional race details.

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FREEDOM RUN (posted July 16th)

A new Lake-area race will debut on the evening of Saturday, September 13th at the Osage National Golf Resort in Lake Ozark.

The Freedom Run is sponsored by Budweiser and Jim Beam, and benefits Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization providing scholarships to the spouses and dependents of fallen or disabled service members and first responders.

Three race options are being offered: 4.44-mile and 44-mile races for solo runners, and a 44-mile race for relay teams of four or more.  The 44-mile races start at 9:00 p.m. Saturday and end at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.  The 4.44-mile solo race can be started at the runner's choosing, at any time between 9:00 p.m. Saturday and 6:00 a.m. Sunday.

Entry fees can be found at the registration page.  Fees will rise on August 1st, and again on race day.

Visit the race's RunSignup.com webpages for all the details.

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