Well, we sure got moving at the TMC Get Moving Tucson 10-miler and 5k. With a certified 10-mile course, some fine records fell, including overall winner Craig Curley who completed the circuit in 50:02 to snatch $275, $100 for first place, $100 for bonus time, and $100 for leading the race at the 7-mile mark. To my mind, Craig is pretty amazing: not only did he set a new course record on the Downtown course, he was at the race helping build the finish line scaffolding about 3 hours before the race started.
Ian Johnson took second with a fine time of 53:24, followed by a resurgent former UA runner Craig Dye, with James Miles, and master’s winner Shaun Haley rounding out the top five for the men.
In the women’s race, newcomer Gina Slaby, ran 1:00:59, winning by over three minutes with a Downtown loop course record. On active duty in the Navy, Slaby is training for the Armed Forces Championships at the Marine Corps Marathon. Stephanie Wenneborg continued her great running in second place, with triathlete Lisa Ribes picking up third place. Fourth went to first master’s runner, Janet Holland, while fifth went to Merry Dearmon, who had an amazing race considering she’s graduated to the 55-year age group.
According to statistician and course-certifier, Dave Hill, the following runners set Arizona age records for the 10-mile distance: Craig Curley, Marvin Makus, Richard Senti, James Hudson, Norris Taylor and Paul Robillia for the men, and Stephanie Wenneborg, Lisa Ribes, Janet Holland, Merry Dearmon, Susan Ahrens, Dawn Arnold, Linda Brewer and Judie Shyman for the women.
Bruce Van Lokeren won the middle-of-the-pack jacket in the 10-miler, and Evi Loveres won the middle-of-the-pack jacket for the 5k. Please see Sharon at The Running Shop for your prizes! A hearty congratulations to all!
Speaking of congratulations, they are in certainly in order for newlyweds Eliot Peterson and Jennifer Roper who finished the 5k tied at 35:51, a few hours before they tied the knot.
Congratulations are also in order for dad Kurt and son Maarten Schmidt. Maarten is the blind 11-year-old who runs almost 40 miles a week. As the family noted in an email: “Maarten had a great run. Even by converting his time for a true 5k, he set a personal best. We broke 40 minutes. That was our goal. We also learned some better things about running together and have developed some ideas for working on his stride for the next race. We’re going to do the Marana Community United 5k on 11/13 that will cross over I-10 at the new Twin Peaks Interchange. Should be a lot of fun. . . . Count on us to be a part of next year’s Get Moving Tucson 5k. The Schmidt Family – Kurt, Elsa, Christian & Maarten”
At the risk of being too maudlin, it’s things like these, from speedsters to weddings to blind children trying their best, that make running such an amazing sport. Everyone can have fun and try their best – it’s a beautiful thing!
One thing that wasn’t beautiful in the race was the 5k – err, the 2.91 miler. The race director (that would be me) apologizes profusely for course snafus that allowed the lead 5k runners to miss the turn on 9th street, thus leading everyone on the simpler but shorter route. Indeed, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve also learned that a number of 10-milers were stopped by TPD at the Fourth Avenue and 6th Street intersection. The traffic plan calls for traffic to be diverted so that runners have free reign and Fourth Avenue has a hard close, and I am very sorry for the delays. So far, I’ve heard of nothing that would have interfered with the age group results, but if you believe your finish would have been affected, please contact me.
Aside from those miseries, the event seemed to be well received, with some awesome side festivities in conjunction with the wonderful Tucson Meet Yourself festival: Japanese swordplay on the library lawn, Chinese Dancers, Pistor Dancers and bluegrass bands at the main stage, plus free massages from Cortiva, free pilates from Plexus Pilates, and a host of other Tucson Meet Yourself activities. The Tucson Meet Yourself staging area seems to be a hit with race participants – thanks are due to Mia Hansen and the whole festival for incorporating us so nicely in this Tucson tradition.
Thanks are also in order to a host of partners and sponsors: without funding from Tucson Medical Center, the event could not take place. TMC has become a leading voice in the fight for health and wellness – and we are grateful for their support.
The Running Shop provided all the age group and overall awards – if you have not claimed your age group award yet, please head to The Running Shop! Muscle Milk provided plenty of refreshing protein recovery drinks plus some funding. As always, Pepsi stepped up and provided Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and Aquafina drinking water – we are always grateful to our local Pepsi bottler and distributor for all of their SAR support!
Sunflower Market provided fruit and snack items again, while Culligan/Oasis water provided all the water on the course and at the finish line. Thanks very much to these local companies for helping us have such a healthy city!
Of course, nobody would know about the race without our media sponsors: Cox Communications, Clear Channel Radio and 92.9 The Mountain, the Arizona Daily Star and Caliente, and Tucson Lifestyle magazine. Thanks for helping us get the word out!!
Tucson Police Department and the City of Tucson are crucial to having a safe and successful event. The Tucson Ham Radio Society provided radio support throughout the course—thanks to Cary Fishman for setting that up.
Thanks, too, to Sahuaro High School for all their water station support – with toga and cheering, they sure provided an awesome lift to runners along the bike path and Fourth Avenue. Thanks as well to all the Workout Group gang who volunteered, plus the SAR Board members and others who chipped in, from Marc Janis, Jocie Riley, Sandra Heater at Friday registration to the 30 race day volunteers, including the Ragnar Relay boys who helped set up at 4:00 in the morning! Thanks, too, to the plenty of UA student volunteers who were along the course and at the staging area.
Finally, thanks to the volunteers from HealthSouth, the American Heart Association, and the Tucson Heart Ball who handed out water at the warehouse district on the 10-miler.
Thanks to everyone involved, we’re able to raise funds for the Tucson Heart Ball/American Heart Association, the TMC Children’s Miracle Network, Greater Tucson Leadership, IdeaFunding/IdeaXchange, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, and the event host, Tucson Meet Yourself.
