Justin Medve
For the Beaver
Runners of all ages and skill levels laced up at Springside Park on Saturday as Run Napanee hosted its first River Road Runner, a scenic footrace that fundraised for local athletics programs.
The event was brainstormed by Landon Mutch, whose family of speed enthusiasts enter a variety of competitions under the brand Two Mutch Racing.
Mutch, inspired by his upbringing on local sports, said he wanted to turn his family’s long-established brand into one that could give back to the community.
“I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life. Raised on hockey, soccer, softball and all that,” he said.
While at another run, Mutch decided hosting a race of his own would be the best place to start. He then created Run Napanee and gathered the help of his family and a Kingston Running Room sponsorship.
Entrants met midday and took off down the Springside Park Trail. A 1.5 km junior run looped back at Napanee
Conservation Park and an open-entry 5 km that used River Road had more challenging exercise opportunities.
After dealing with rolling hills and winding paths, even more seasoned runners needed a push for the final sprint.
Luckily, there was plenty of cheering close to the finish line.
Silver 5 km finisher Kevin Dunbar told the Beaver that seeing other locals had his back was a great final push.
“It was awesome. You’re beating yourself up knowing the hill is coming and you haven’t saved much and then the crowd just pulls you up it,” Dunbar said.
Also encouraging was an awards ceremony for each course. Top three finishers took home cash prizes, but everybody had a chance to win thanks to random draws and more creative categories like youngest and oldest participant.
But at the end of the day, it was all about getting together and being active for a good cause.
Ninety-five per cent of ticket proceeds will go to the NDSS girls basketball team and Christian Cornerstone Academy physical education classes, as nominated on the race website. The other five per cent covers organization costs and the prize pool.
Members of the Kingston Road Runners Association also dropped by, including first-place 5 km finisher Mike Mackett. All results can be seen on www.runnapanee.ca.
With just over 50 people in attendance, Mutch said the event is on the right track to happen again next year.
“Once the sun came out, people thought it was a good idea to come run,” Mutch said.
The next local running event is the annual Napanee Heritage 5 km Race on June 16, featuring a kid’s mile and open-entry 5 km. Sign-ups can be found on www.napaneeheritagerace.com.
Limestone Race Weekend also takes place all-day Saturday and Sunday at Kingston City Hall. See www.krra.org for more information.