On Sunday, Dec. 5, more than 400 Olympia residents laced up their sneakers for the inaugural community run.
After nearly two years of pandemic isolation, A.J. and Christina Bachmann were anxious to get back to doing the things they loved — running and spending time with friends. The Bachmanns usually ran a half marathon yearly before COVID-19. They got the idea to run with their community members, and when they presented the idea, more than 100 people responded immediately.
The HOA supported the Bachmanns to organize road closings, communication and incurred some of the costs. They registered 467 residents before turning people away when the registration closed.
Four different races circled Fatio Circle, a 2.7-mile loop, and ended at the Olympia Clubhouse. The races included a one-mile family fun run, a 5K race, a 10K race and a half marathon.
Thanks to sponsors like the Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Disorders Institute of South Florida (PCSI), organizers provided runners with medals, shirts, bags and other goodies.
“Sponsors like PCSI have been instrumental in keeping the costs low for residents, which encourages entire families to register,” A.J. Bachmann said.
The attention to detail and enthusiasm for this inaugural event made it a smashing success. The event brought residents together and helped them network.
“One of my favorite parts was watching people who had never met previously form friendships and running groups while preparing for the races,” Bachmann said.
The Bachmanns enjoyed watching their neighbors prepare for the event and plan to do it yearly. Winners included:
Half Marathon Male Overall — Seth Waller (1:35:49), A.J. Bachmann (1:41:08) and Attila Bucko (1:45:24).
Half Marathon Female Overall — Christina Bachmann (1:45:58), Becca Stewart (1:58:26) and Lisa Hersman (2:08:15).
10K Male Overall — Matthew Finkelstein (39:04), Cormac Doyle (45:40) and Raul Alvarado (50:43).
10K Female Overall — Kathy Glazer (57:28), Kelly Anderson (57:30) and Ona Gurevicius (57:47).
5K Male Overall — Matthew Gross (22:05), Steve Gross (23:08) and Piotr Komorowski (23:10).
5K Female Overall — Raquel Clark (22:31), Abigail Tortora (27:27) and Shirley Madriz-Hughes (27:37).
One-Mile Male Overall — James Caprio (6:50), Augustas Gurevicius (8:25) and Bradley Schnipper (9:17).
One-Mile Female Overall — Emily Wellikoff (9:08), Lucca Peck (9:50) and Anne Fallow (10:16).
