Bison get good look at Randy's Run

The first Randy’s Run at Red Willow Lake had a great view, great weather and a great turn-out (above right) as they honored late McCook High School alum and exercise enthusiast Randy Andrews.

Courtesy Photo

McCOOK, Neb. — There is little debate: the course for the first Randy’s Run at Red Willow Lake was challenging, with hills, grassy trails and uneven terrain.

But runners and walkers were treated to a special sight during the 5K and half-marathon run at the state recreation area north of McCook on Saturday.

With apples as an incentive, the bison herd was front and center in their new viewing area at Red Willow Lake during Saturday’s event. The new viewing area also served as the turn-around for Randy’s Run.

The race was held in memory of Randy Andrews, a 1973 McCook High School graduate and executive director of the Bison Alumni Newsletter up until his passing in August 2017.

Randy was also an avid runner and biker, participating in ultra-distance running races of 50 and 100-mile lengths and multi-day bike rides .

With a technically-difficult course, few runners probably set “personal best” times at Randy’s Run, but runners and walkers were treated to beautiful scenery around the lake.

Leading the pack for the 5K course was David Junker, who finished in 21 minutes, 25 seconds. Ashley Ambrosek led the women in 28:17.

On the “almost a half-marathon” course, Ray Chmiel blasted through the course in 1 hour, 41 minutes to lead the men.

Staci Blomstedt also posted an impressive time, leading the women with 1:49.

Top finishers for the 2018 Randy’s Run included:

5K

Women: 19 and under, Rinlee Blomstedt, 35:37.6; 20-29, Ashley Ambrosek, 28:17.3; 30-39, Joy Farr, 42:59.2; 40-49, Julie Schultz, 37:21.2; 50-59, Kristy Pollnow, 43:51.4 ; 60 and over, Sharon Beiber, 42:31.6

Men: 19 and under, Davien Hanson, 28:58.9 7; 20-29, Marc Kramer-Davis, 22:18.7; 30-39, David Junker, 21:25.4; 40-49, Bill Kent, 24:16.0; 50-59, Kevin Nielsen, 24:14.1; 60 and over, Dennis Fahrenbruch, 36:52.5

Half Marathon

Women:20-29, Kasey Schroeder, 2:12:00.0; 30-39, Staci Blomstedt, 1:49:23.6; 40-49, Linda Kramer, 2:18:10.2; 50-59, Malinda Hayes, 2:18:37.1

Men: 19 and under, Grant Wells, 2:30:56.0; 30-39, Jason Blomstedt, 1:50:44.6; 40-49, Troy Swartz 1:49:30.0; 50-59, Kenneth York, 2:08:34.9; 60 and over, Ray Chmiel, 1:41:51.8

Randy’s Run also included a team relay, with the four-person teams combining their times for the best team overall times.

Team winners in three different categories included: coed, The Fast and the Nefarious (Sabrina Nielsen, Kevin Nielsen, Bill Kent, Margo Kent); women, 4 Old Chicks (Rose Cayer, Josie Lytle, Tess Brown and Sharon Bieber); and 19 and under, Three Boys and a Girl (Davien Hanson, Rinlee Blomstedt, Jackson Blomstedt, Axel Blomstedt).

Complete results for Randy’s Run are available online at www.republicanriverfitnessseries.com.

A special thank-you to Aric Riggins, Southwest Region Parks Supervisor, and his staff for all their help prepping the trails around the lake for Randy.y’s Run.

Randy’s Run was the most recent addition to the Republican River Fitness Series, which is a collaboration between the McCook YMCA and Community Hospital.

Next up on the fitness series calendar is the Heritage Days Road Race on Saturday, Sept. 29. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. east of Norris Park.