Congratulations to the 2013 Running Club North award winners! Each of these deserving folks was recognized at the recent RCN/Flint Hills social and awards ceremony. For those who missed the event, here’s a short introduction to our winners:
2013 Race Director of the Year – Keith Pollock for the Run & Soak
For many years, Keith has directed this trail run from the Angel Rocks Trailhead to Chena Hot Springs Resort. It includes a post-race barbecue and free swim at the resort. In nominating Keith, one person wrote, “The Run and Soak is one of the best events of the year, and he does a masterful job of putting it on, even with non-meat burgers. 🙂 And he’s been doing it for a looooooooong time.”
2013 Volunteer of the Year – George Berry
The gist of the nominations for George could be summed up with this one: “I see him everywhere!” George not only helps out with established needs and events, he goes outside the box and invents new ways to encourage all of us to keep running and have fun. A partial list his voluntarism: organizing Steve’s Equinox training runs and Fahrenheit Be Darned Runs; creating the Full Moon Run series as well as the Dawn to Dusk and Dusk to Dawn runs; on the RCN board, taking Membership Director to a new level; filling in as needed, all the time, at seemingly every event. And besides all that, he’s a nice guy! Further descriptive phrases from the nominations: tireless and stupendously dependable; wonderfully nice and fun to talk to; inspiring; very caring; always positive and upbeat about everything, with that wry smile of his.
2013 Most Inspirational Runner of the Year – Andy Sterns
Andy inspired us this year, as one nomination said, by “staying alive.” He’s our first repeat winner of this award, and he certainly deserves it. His ability to come back and keep on going, despite some pretty horrendous injuries over the years, continues to inspire us all. Earlier this year, he barely survived a mountaineering fall that broke both his legs. He not only overcame the resulting complications, but came back with more guts, determination, and self-propelled physical training than imaginable for most of us – and he did it in time to complete Leg 2 of the Equinox Marathon. As was noted repeatedly, “He is just amazing!”
The club also remembered Jim Loftus, who lost his battle with cancer this summer. Jim left us a legacy in many ways, including his professionalism as an engineer and building designer; his own running ability on the track at national and world levels; and his commitment to organizing and/or helping with every track meet in town, always encouraging others and providing opportunities for us to enjoy running as he did.
— submitted by Jane Lanford, RCN awards committee chair