


Bib 218 Deb 159 26 F 35 30-39 45:11
So cute how Parker is waving away at me as they come in on the finish line. I cannot believe I am going to say there is a down side to this awesome stroller, but Emmitt is underneath Parker in the bottom seat and you cannot see him from this angle.
After 72 participants took to the track in the inaugural year in 2007, 109 participants followed up last year. Saturday, 193 finished.
“This year is perfect for a run,” said Robert Youso, a 2005 FHS graduate who finished second overall. “Don’t know what the temp is, but it’s perfect.”
The temperature at the end of the race, which concluded around 11 a.m., was 70 degrees. There were little or no complaints, and the only hiccup was the finish. Youso actually crossed the finish line first, but Jason Russy was awarded the win. Russy had a large lead entering the final 400 meters — once around the track — but he stopped at the starting line, which was roughly 200 meters short of the finish. Youso tried to flag him down to continue to the finish, but it was the third-place finisher, Frank Frederickson, who finally got Russy’s attention.
“We are giving him the win. He deserves it,” said race coordinator Jen Erickson.
Russy, who was participating for the first time, left soon after the race and was unavailable for comment.
The focus of the morning race was having fun, however, and the overall perception was positive, especially from the out-of-towners.
“It was a great little route,” said Kim Lewis, who hails from Fairbanks, Alaska. Lewis was visiting with her boyfriend, ’95 FHS graduate Marc Dugas. The two finished together ... sort of.
“I passed her, actually,” Dugas was quick to point out.
Jay Alliff, a high school teacher and track coach from Placerville, Calif., was especially impressed by the support for the 5K.
“It was good,” Alliff said about the race. “Nice and fast and flat. Looks like they have a nice track program here. Nice facility and a lot of community support.”
Locally, the option to run or walk brought out a lot of families.
Regan Bilben, fresh off participating June 20 in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, ran with “70 pounds of children” in a big stroller. Jillian, 3, and Brooks, 1, “wanted to come today,” Bilben said.
“To finish is to win,” Hall said.
Even the paper mill was mentioned by Jim Palm, an Indus graduate visiting from Atlanta.
“The fumes from the mill made me feel right at home,” he said.
The morning ended with three fun runs for children. Seven-year-old Caden Hofstad won the first race and was excited “that I started out and I ended and I won.” Hofstad, originally from International Falls, is the son of Grand Rapids boys track and field coach Darrin Hofstad.
“The more we do this, the more people will show up,” Erickson said.
All the proceeds from the race are handled by the Broncos track booster club with the money raised going to the track teams to help purchase equipment.
“It’s nice to see both the runners and the walkers. It’s a good balance,” Erickson said. “It’s more of a fun run, so you get a lot of families. And that’s perfect for the Fourth.”