After a snow storm it's always interesting finding places to run.  I'd like to have this Blog as a "clear places to run" blog for at least the next week! 

I did run at Park Point yesterday and am guessing it will be pretty packed down again in a few days...I know the streets near my house are still unplowed and drifty...

So...if you find a clear route, please do share!  If you find a packed down trail...please share that too!  

thanks! 

Does anyone know if Lester will be lit this year prior to the snowfall?  In past years when I have asked the city I have gotten a wide variety of answers and mostly confusion. 

Tonight I attempted to run Chester with a very dim headlamp and Laambeaux pulling me...probably not the brightest thing I've ever done...the scariest part was crossing back over the field in the pitch black and having her look to her left and growl at something I could not see!!!...The lights used to be pretty good in the field...I'm kinda wondering if they are permanently off with all the other "good and healthy" options that used to be available in the city??   

Huge thank you's to those volunteers who made today possible!!!

Kris Northlandrunnerguy-- the spindle guy--after a quickie lesson, he managed to perfectly execute 489 5k finishers on the spindles!!! How are those fingers? Frostbit?

Jim Gunderson -- The chronomax guy -- he also did one heck of a job managing two other timers from Woodland hills and getting the exact number of finishers that Kris did...amazing for two first timers!!!

Shane Olson -- Photo guy -- after witnessing Shane's keen eye for moving objects I knew he was something I just HAD to have at the finish line...thanks a ton!

Kapoor - photo guy two -- thank you Kapoor for all the turn around photos...I hope nothing froze solid on you out there in the wind for hours!! I am looking forward to seeing them!!!

Tim Davis -- Webmaster and photo guy #3...check out his work on our site!!!

Officer Montgomery of the Duluth Police Department made this event possible when the park and rec department and mayor refused...she is outstanding!!! Thank you!!!

Michelle Lee of Channel 6 did one heck of an outstanding job as the announcer...we felt privilidged to have her as our "voice" today!!!

Thomas Bakken our lead biker who braved the cold and led both the kids and the 5k!

Keith Thompson -- the rabbit for the kids race!

Woodland Hills provided us with three amazing groups of kids who froze and worked hard for over 4 hours!!! We had one great group of boys who handled all the parking, water and turn around. Those kids were told to cram 500 cars into 300 spaces and they did it!!! People said they were very enthusiastic at the turn around and it helped them continue!! One group of girls were the finish line crew and they worked miracles and did such an outstanding job!!! The last group of girls handled the preregsitered people and the food...what a good job they did too! I was incredibly impressed and would highly recommend them at any running event! This was the second time I have used them and they are the best, most enthusiastic volunteers I have seen!!! Smart too!

There were a few other choice volunteers Jeanne Tonkin, Siegrun Horst, Ben Potter, Brett Quist, Tim Weiland, and Becca Richardson all helped to make it happen!!!

Liz Sobcack, Heather Isakson, Shelly Thompson, Cheryl Wasmund, DJ Hamm (Emily's other half) and some of the others mentioned above all folded shirts, stuffed packets and alphabetized the 24 boxes for those who were preregistered!

Gene Curnow loaned us his jugs from the Voyager, Mickey loaned us his signs and spindles from the Mac, and Grandma's thank you so much for the clock, timers and finish chute!!

Dave Werner the manager of the airport worked tirelessly moving planes in and out of the hangar to accommodate our space needs...huge kudos to him too!!!

Emily Crook (Nancy's daugher) now knows where every bakery and grocery store are in Duluth by heart...she did all the last minute running around and around and around Duluth to get the goodies to eat! We had quite a plethora of edibles!!

Hilary Crook (Nancy's other daughter) was the letter writer, money handler!!

Pam Keller from Illinois, a relative of the family's designed the very attractive logo!!

Barbara Reyelts and family for all their input, help and support!!

Now for the good stuff...we had over 500 preregistered...we thought oh maybe 100 day of...we printed 100 extra forms for day of...we got over 200 more day of! I finally stopped keeping track of the kids just to keep up with registration needs! My creative day of staff of Jim, Siegrun, and Jeanne made it work and kept things moving despite no forms and frozen pens that refused to deposit ink onto the paper.

We ended up with 489 finishers in the 5k ...many decided to turn back early due to the strong headwind, others did not show up, we had two full boxes of no shows.

Dave Pipho is the first record holder finishing in a time of 17.29 and Marlo McGaver set the first women's record with a time of 18.57.

A full set of results will be posted on this site as soon as Kris gets a moment and his fingers thaw out. Pictures will be on this site and on www.nancyenglishmemorial5k.com.

There will also be a survey on the race website next week that we invite people to fill out and if you tried the Old Dutch ketchup potato chips, please email customerservice@olddutchfoods.com with your comments about them! They were donated with the understanding that we were kind of "testing" them!

Thank you to all who participated! Despite the overwhelming day of registration and 15 minute late start time, we were only 25 minutes over our projected finish time! For the first year and basically a one person brain running it, that ain't too bad!!!

I have been fortunate to have been an official at the State Cross Country meet for about 15 years. It has been very educational seeing the improvements that continue to be made to the course, start, finish, and other places each year. This year one of the new things they did was move the part of the course that goes back towards the start line on the inside of the fence so now we could see the participants clearly two more times.

The winner for Boys A from Warroad was very enjoyable to watch! He had an awesome long stride and looked so comfortable and relaxed when he ran that he appeared effortless! The Boys AA was a real race at the finish! The first three boys were going at what looked to be an all out sprint! The girls races were just normal and only two athletes had to be taken back on the "cart" from all four races and just one that I know of had to go somewhere in the ambulance...she was one who finished the race.

One of my jobs is a start line official...I get to make sure all the kids have solid color compression shorts or spandex if it shows, solid color jogging bras if they show, solid color hair ties, no metal in their hair, no jewelry except what is allowed, their numbers match what we have, hip numbers are on, chips are on, shirts are tucked in if they are intended to be tucked in, shorts are not "rolled" on the top, all athletes match if they wear compression shorts, and oh so much more stuff! It's fun seeing all the nervous athletes before they race!

This year one athlete took off on her coach. I ran into the coach later who told me that the gal was throwing up from being nervous then hid for 1/2 hour...poor girl...I felt for the parents because they were from pretty far from the event and one was even from a couple of states away...I also wanted the coach who was frustrated to stress to this athlete that she took a spot that could have gone to another athlete who was probably crushed because she did not make it!

My other duty this year was select timing at the finish line...I normally keep the athletes moving along, "catch" falling female athletes and move them to the side, and stuff like that...I felt like I "moved" up in the world of officiating at the state level!

Ok...the movie I saw...I think parts of it would make some runners laugh themselves to tears...other parts are pretty unrealistic...the funny parts are good enough to make a runner want to watch ...the movie is Run Fat Boy Run...it's British kinda...and kinda American...I think all runners should see it!

Ok...enough babbling...great fall season I thought..only one rainy day...big numbers...even though Jarrow prefers them smaller...

If anyone still plans to sign up for the Dr. Nancy English Memorial 5k run/walk, prices just went up...just for NMTC runners though...if you can find a registration form at Caribou, Jarrow, or Ski Hut or download it, send it in telling me that you are an NMTC participant and pay just $20. We are at 360 or so with kids! Mostly women! Check out the door prizes...tons of entries to races!

If you want to volunteer, I do need volunteers...only those who run races though...I have the non technical positions filled already! You'll also get a shirt and be in the drawings if you volunteer...you just don't have to run! Shane, Kris, and a few others are my "technical" volunteers so far!

www.nancyenglishmemorial5k.com