2011 RCGC Cross Country Series Final Race Recap
The last race of the 2011 RCGC Cross Country Series was at the scenic Valley View Nature Preserve by Pattison Elementary in Milford this past Thursday. It was also Stacy's last race as race director. Stacy has directed the series for 25 years. Stacy has been involved with the series since 1973 first as a runner and then he took over as race director from Series Founder Don Wahle, the man who kept long distance running alive in Cincinnati during the 1950's and 1960's, in 1987. Before the race, he went through some of his most famous quotes such as "There are two waterstops on the course - one at the start and one at the finish", and" 5 minutes until the "Tortures of the Damned". For his final race as race director, he also guaranteed runners triple their money back if they did not like the services that he provided.
About 60 runners showed up to race in extremely hot conditions. This week's top runner was David Bea who ran a 16:57. The top female runner was Erin Bauer who ran a 19:36. Erin runs for Malone College and will be a senior this year. Runners who completed the entire 5k distance received either a mug or a wristband. Since it was the last series, there was a post race of bread, water, peanuts and granola bars.
Thank you to the Valley View Foundation for allowing use of Valley View Nature Preserve for the 2011 Summer Cross Country Series. Thank you to Dave Ackermann, Mike Smith, Slate Kirk for helping with the 2011 series. A special thank goes to Stacy Osborne for directing the series and keeping it going for 25 years.