Halloween was Keri Kurtz’ favorite holidays, as she attended Oregon Train Jr High School. She also played musical instruments, she starred as an athlete, and she met her fate with Wegener’s Disease. So, why not devise a memorial for Keri as way to tell people about the newly diagnosed illness, and use her jazz band, and hold a 5K foot-race? So, the "1^st Keri’s Run". Keri’s mother Denice and I planned together one of year’s most unique events.

The course starts on the school stadium track, where spectators sit on the bleachers. After a loop, they exit and follow a tortuous cross-country route all across the schoolyard. Soon, the audience is surrounded by runners, and can view 95% of the course, a feature very rare if at all in the running world. A mostly flat terrain is tested with a short 40% grade and a couple 180 deg turns. The number was short of 100, and monitors greeted them all along the way. Volunteers were aplenty, as was the hot cider and bowls of treats.

Although announcing this event was quite amusing, I had to shut the sound off and resort to yelling hoopla to returning athletes. As the trials of a first race pop up, so the sky followed suite and dropped the heavy drizzle toward the end of the race that diminished the post-race activities. The Jazz band did quit in time, but many runners stayed for the dripping, brief awards ceremony.

First back around the track was Jeanne Sapienza (38-Shawnee KS) in 20:57, followed by female Wanda Toto-Schieb (42-Lenexa KS) in a close 20:59. Only then came the first male winner Lynde (55-Overland Park KS) in 22:10.

John Slate (49-Overland Park) came as Second Male with a 22:38. Max Tracz (12) scored Third Male in 23:42. Third Female was Nikki Sanders (12-Olathe KS) at 23:47