Scenic Half ran away with participants' raves, race's success
Nothing like an Indian Summer (Can I still write that? Is Indian Summer PC?) to put people in a good mood.
Sandpoint residents did themselves proud last weekend at the inaugural The Scenic Half Marathon.
What a wonderful idea! Sandpoint Chamber head honcho Dennis Dye should be commended for putting it all together. Kevin Estes also did a great job coordinating.
The legions of smiling volunteers were wonderful and the race went off without a hitch. Dye, who is an Ironman competitor, made this event his signature achievement of his presidency.
I can see this race continuing to grow as word gets out for serious racers and for those who just want to go for a walk.
Allen McClelland is taking over as next year’s Scenic chief and asked me what he could do to improve next year’s race. Great question, Allen. Just make sure the weather is as perfect as it was Sunday, make sure all of the volunteers are smiling like they were and be aware that a million things had to fall together to make this year’s race the success it was.
If you fall short in any of those items, your tenure as the second race organizer will be considered an utter and dismal failure.
Hey, good luck, Allen!
Seriously, the race was great. I hadn’t prepared much for running 13 miles because when I started adding miles to my morning jog, I kept inflaming a case of plantar fascitis.
Plantar fascitis, if you don’t know, is an affliction that brings you to your knees by making you feel like you have stepped in a pile of broken glass.
I had also been following Amy Little’s advice about how to prepare and I figured if Amy could gut it out, so could I.
She didn’t — just so you know. But at least she handed me my finisher’s medal.
I have run a handful of marathons from Las Vegas to New York City as well as three half marathons over the years. I was also there for the births of my two children, so I know something about overcoming pain and the joys of setting goals.
My race strategy was simple: Start out slow and then fade. There it is. Put it on the fridge …
I knew this had the makings of a half-fast, half marathon.
Since I knew I was out of shape and injured, I started looking around at the starting line for someone who was in worse shape and limping … or at least had a walker. No luck. Everyone looked great and in shape. I talked with a man from Spokane who spent the previous night at a cottage in Dover Bay. He loved it and said he would be back. He looked fast and rested.
Since I knew I wouldn’t be competitive, I decided to be the friendliest darn runner in the race. I clapped for everyone I saw and shouted out encouragement.
As I crossed the Long Bridge, I said a silent prayer that I was in the most beautiful place on earth. That was better for my heart than running hard.
Great job to all of you who made The Scenic Half a tremendous success.
Kudos to the Panhandle Animal Shelter for a flocking good fundraising idea.
I’ll bet you have noticed the flock of pink flamingos that have landed on and around some businesses in the Sandpoint area during the past few months. I noticed them at Powell and Reed’s law firm first. They migrated to Horizon Credit’s front yard and have been spotted at Panhandle State Bank.
It cost me $25 to spray for the flamingos and I have made a deal to send them to another business in Sandpoint. The only problem is the flamingos have been boxed and put away for the winter.
The folks at First Presbyterian put flamingos in our yard when we first moved to town. Our new neighbors didn’t know what to expect at that point although two offered to buy them from us. Stay tuned …
Ed Bittner dropped off a copy of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees magazine to show me that Sandpoint is on the list of 12 towns for retirees to consider.
Along with mentioning the lake, mountains, etc, the author cited: “The state allows a hefty tax exemption for public pensions.” The only downside was high home prices.
All the best!
n David Keyes is publisher of the Bonner County Daily Bee.