Route 66 Race to Rocker gets blue skies and high fives
JOG, inc., a local running club, staged its first annual Race to the Rocker.
Cuba, MO On Saturday April 4, in Missouri, an event took place on Route 66 that shows the spirit of the historic route is alive, well, and taking on new vitality. It was a beautiful day with sun, blue skies, and temperatures approaching 70 degrees. It was high fives all around for racers, planners, and volunteers.
JOG,inc., a local running club, staged its first annual Race to the Rocker. The four-mile race along Route 66 started at Cuba and finished at the Guinness World Record Largest Rocking Chair at the Fanning Outpost General Store with 155 participants pounding out the miles to the finish.
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The 155 finishers and volunteers for the Race to the Rocker gathered under the Guinness World Record Largest Rocking Chair for their group photo. Runners and volunteers of all ages came together to race money for the high school track program.
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Photographers, race officials, and cheering fans greeted runners as they crossed the finish line at the first Race to the Rocker at the Outpost General Store. It was beautiful day for a race along Route 66 in the Ozarks.
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With the help of the Missouri Department of Transportation, local police, and a host of volunteers, the race brought smiles and miles to enthusiastic racers. Kyle Gibbs, 31, of Rolla won the race for the men with a 24:06.5 time. Cristy Kruse, 41, of Cuba won the women's division with a time of 29:25.7. The fastest local runner was Brad Mace, with a time of 27:06. There were many age and gender divisions with runners, walkers, and combination of both. Results for the race are on www.bigriverrunning.com. Big River Running Company handled the technical aspects of registering and race officials were pleased with how smoothly the race went. Matt Helbig of Big River said, "That makes our job that much easier."
But it was more a day for fun, cooperation, and community. JOG, inc. raised over $7500 for the high school track program. JOG, inc., standing for Joggers of God, in Cuba, formed in October, 2008, so this debut race was a challenge for race organizers to pull off without a hitch.
Owners of The Fanning Outpost Dan and Carolyn Sanazaro and their staff handled the influx of racers and volunteers with their usual goodwill. Carolyn remarked, "Everyone was just smiling and having such a good time." The hospitality tent for runners, the many offerings of the Outpost General Store, and good spirits of the runners combined to make it a memorable day. Many racers donned their race t-shirts with the Guinness Rocker's graphic.
Although Brad Austin, the JOG, inc. race director had pre-race jitters the day before with the monumental task of organizing the race, arranging bus shuttles for the racers, and dealing with safety issues, he was delighted with the result as all the details involved in the months of planning came together.
Austin remarked, "It couldn't have gone better! The weather was truly heaven
sent. We have a list of things to improve for next year. We want to work with local businesses and link their websites to ours, hopefully generating a weekend experience for a family instead of just a morning event. We believe that if people visit Cuba and Crawford County they will want to come back again and again. This area has a lot to offer."
The race group has set March 27 for the 2010 second annual Race to the Rocker. If you didn't make the debut race, next year's race will be bigger and better than ever as racers pound out the miles on the Mother Road.
For those interested in seeing race photos or in receiving information on next year's race, visit www.jog-inc.com for details as they develop or to ask to be placed on the email list for race information.
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