Race calendar notes:

I've deleted any mention of a Lake Regional 5K/10K. Without any announcement on the hospital's website, or by e-mail, at this late date, I very much doubt it's happening. It's always sad to lose a race, and particularly one that's been around as long as Lake Regional's. It was first held in 2010, tying it (with the Laker Turkey Trot) for the second oldest race at the Lake.  (Only the Polar Bear Strut has been around longer--since 2002.)

The Miller County Sheriff's Association's Run with the Cops, Not From the Cops 5K/10K now has a date: Saturday, May 30th.  Until I can post a listing for the race, point your mobile phone's camera at the QR Code shown on the Association's Facebook page for more information.

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BRIDGE AND DAM HALF MARATHON AND 5K/10K (posted April 11th)

The complete race results can be found here.

I hope to post a race report in coming days, and my photos of the half marathon and 10K runners--taken on the bridge and points west of it--in about a week. (I have almost 2,300 photos to go through, to discard the duplicates and rejects, and edit the "keepers". It's a very slow and tedious job, but I think you'll find them worth waiting for.)

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GREATER ST. LOUIS MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, 10K & 5K  (posted April 12th)

The Greater St. Louis Marathon, known as the GO! St. Louis Marathon from 2008 to 2023, registered its fifth consecutive increase in participation, and had its biggest turnout since 2015.  There were 7,384 finishers at Saturday's race, up a surprising 20% from last year's total of 6,166.  (It's still only about half of the peak of 14,981 finishers in 2011, when the boom in running was just starting to fade.)

The complete race results can be found here.

This year's race included a one-hour early start for marathon participants who needed more time to finish the course.  I'm not sure what last year's marathon cut-off time was, but there were 34 finishers after the 6-hour mark.  This year, there were 78 finishers after that mark.  The final official finisher crossed the line in 7:55:57, a pace of 18:10 per mile. 

The results are posted on the dreaded Athlinks/Chronotrack websites (they're both owned by Life Time Fitness), where results are searchable only by name. If you ran the race and wish your results to be posted, pass them along to me, and II'll post them.

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ROCK THE PARKWAY HALF MARATHON & 5K (posted April 12th)

Like the Greater St. Louis races mentioned above, the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon & 5K also scored its fifth consecutive year-over-year increase in participation since COVID, with a 7% rise over last year.  Here are the number of finishers, by distance, over the last ten races.

The Lake area had one participant in the race.  Mary Groos of Lake Ozark ran the 5K, finishing in 1:23:15 and placing 60th (of 62) in the women's 55-59 age group.

Complete race results can be found here.

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WEEKEND EVENTS FOR APRIL 11 - 12

The spring race season goes into overdrive starting this weekend, with lots of big races across the state being held over the next four weeks.

This weekend's lineup includes the Lake area's biggest race of the year--the Bridge & Dam Half Marathon & 5K/10K.  The race starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Bagnell Dam scenic overlook.   Online registration ends Wednesday evening at 11:59 p.m.; in-person registration will be available at any of three packet pickups on Thursday and Friday, and on race morning from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m.   For complete details, visit the race website and Facebook page.

Elsewhere:

Lebanon:

Route 66 Centennial Bunion Derby 5K, Saturday

Columbia:

Head for the Cure 5K, Saturday
Tim Heinsz 5K10K, Jim Devine Dog Walk, and Bob Bailey Bike Ride, Saturday

Springfield:

Potters House 5K & Fun Run, Saturday

Kansas City:

Rock the Parkway Half Marathon & 5K, Saturday

St. Louis area:   

Greater St. Louis Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K/10K, Saturday
Walk with a Friend 5K/10K, Creve Coeur Lake Park, Saturday
Pat Tillman Honor Fun Run/Walk (4.2 miles), Jefferson Barracks, Saturday
Ozark Foothills Endurance Runs (100M/100K/50M/50K/Marathon/25K & 25K Ruck), Wildwood, Saturday-Sunday
Brain Bolt 5K, Creve Coeur Lake Park, Sunday

Little Rock, Arkansas:

The Hogeye (marathon & half on Saturday; 5K/10K on Sunday), Fayetteville

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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