The inaugural Rugged Red half-marathon was held on Sept. 6, 2014, at Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest. It was a hot and muggy Saturday. And muddy, thanks to a previous rainy week. Yep, Mother Nature laid it on. The trail run had all manner of hills and slopes, twists and turns, ascents and descents, rocks and trees, creek beds and breathtaking views.
The day started at 5:30 a.m. for the many volunteers (yay, volunteers, you are always awesome people!), including Fitness Plus clients Meribeth Gaines, Debbie James, Sarah Tedford and Julia Fain. FP client Dee Werline’s niece, Baylee, came in from North Carolina to compete in the race. At 8 a.m. the first wave of runners took to the course. Of 380 people who signed up, 310 finished.
For first-time race director (and FP personal trainer) Stephanie Lovely, the day was pretty spectacular. She has worked races on the volunteer side quite a few times before. Being the actual director is like being “vice president in charge of every possible detail,” similar to the way a TV producer of a football game is. Steph planned the half-marathon course itself, dealt with all the logistics, including medals, and anything else race-related that came up.
“Seeing the runners come across the line and having a good time, that was rewarding,” she said. “They’re loving something I created and that I love too.”
Although she couldn’t compete in the Rugged Red on race day itself, Steph ran that 13.1-mile rugged course many times over the past year. Running trails has always been her favorite kind of running. She was brought into the Rugged Red project in August 2013 to plan the event for September 2014. She worked with Joe Bowen, who had the idea in the first place to bring a sporting event to the area to increase tourism.
Because of the heat and humidity, there were some runners who got a little overheated. Search & Rescue teams from Wolfe, Powell and Menifee counties were on hand to help anyone who needed it, from bee stings to a turned ankle to heat exhaustion. “Medical treatment is a lot trickier in the trails of a national forest,” Stephanie said.
With almost a mile of gained elevation throughout the course, running times were slower for the Rugged Red trail half-marathon than they would be for other half-marathons. But it’s not so much about the finishing time as the experience itself. Yes, there are plans to have the 2nd annual Rugged Red in the fall of 2015. www.RuggedRed.com
Steph Lovely, Rugged Red race director, and Rene Sepulveda, her college coach who came in from California to run the race. He also came in fifth place.