Bigfork River Run raises money for cross country program
Back when Maureen Redfield was in high school, cross country wasn’t offered as an organized sport.
That’s why Redfield, now 69 years old, wants to help ensure that today’s high school athletes have the opportunity to compete in long distance running.
“I really appreciate the cause to keep cross country going for young people,” Redfield said. “It’s really important.”
Redfield, a Lakeside resident, was one of about 200 people who participated in the Bigfork cross country program’s second annual fundraiser 5K fun-run. The race was held Saturday morning at Bigfork Elementary and Middle School.
The event was first organized following the school board’s 2010 decision to cut cross country as a district-funded sport. The cross country program must now raise over $6,000 a year to fund its season.
For Jill Morley, a Bigfork elementary teacher and one of the race’s lead organizers, putting on a 5K seemed like an obvious solution to the cross country team’s funding problem.
“Last year when the team lost funding, I went to Sue (Loeffler) and said, ‘Why doesn’t Bigfork have a fun-run?’” Morley said. “It just seemed like a really good idea.”
Loeffler, who is the head boys and girls cross country coach at Bigfork, worked closely with Morley and other volunteers to secure sponsors and advertise the race.
“We start (the planning phase) in May looking for sponsors, and it’s just nonstop until the day of,” Loeffler said. “This whole thing lasts maybe an hour, but the work that goes into it is just unbelievable.”
All the hard work and planning paid off last weekend, when competitors took off from the starting line on Commerce Street on a warm, sunny Saturday morning.
Racers followed a course that included a stretch of the Swan River Nature Trail and an uphill climb along Grand Drive — a pretty tough run if you ask Redfield.
“I felt tired today, but I’d be disappointed if I weren’t tired,” she said. “That would mean I didn’t go fast enough.”
Redfield placed first in her age division, earning a handcrafted wooden medal made by Steve Morley.
The overall winner for the day was Flathead High School distance star Zach Perrin, who crossed the finish line with a time of 16 minutes, 31.3 seconds. Perrin was awarded a handmade wooden paddle, also by Steve Morley, for his efforts.
“It was a fun course,” Perrin said. “I just really wanted to get that paddle because it’s such a cool prize.”
Perrin has participated in several local races since track season ended last spring, but this was his first overall victory of the summer.
“I do them (summer races) to keep my legs fresh, since I don’t do a ton of speed work in the summer,” Perrin said. “I just treat them as tempo runs.”
Perrin said the time was a little slower than he anticipated, but considering the conditions, he was happy with it.
“The hill at the end was pretty challenging, plus it was really hot out, so that was challenging,” he said.
Jessica Sagen, a former Whitefish High School distance running standout, was the top finisher in the female category with a time of 20:58.2.
“I felt pretty good,” Sagen said. “I have a cold, so the first mile I was a little wheezy, but after that I felt OK.”
Sagen will be a freshman at Stanford University this fall. She hopes to eventually walk on to the school’s cross country team.
“Even if I’m not running on the college team, I will definitely keep training on my own,” Sagen said.
Like Perrin, this was Sagen’s first overall win of the summer racing season.
“I’m kind of excited,” she said.
Sagen said she was happy to support the cross country program at one of Whitefish’s rival schools.
“Cross country is so important to me,” Sagen said. “It helped me grow as a person, and it helped me do well in school.”
That is exactly what inspires Morley to put so much effort into planning the race each year.
“I feel so strongly about cross country, and I feel like it’s often an overlooked sport,” Morley said. “It establishes discipline, self-motivation and drive.”
Morley’s entire family — including daughter Makena, who will be a freshman at Bigfork this fall — is involved in distance running, which gives her another reason to keep the Bigfork program going.
“I believe in this program, and I want this program to stay here,” she said. “I want it for my kids so this can be their sport.”
Morley and Loeffler are already thinking of ways to improve the event next year.
“We’re going to work on getting the word out a little more (next year),” Loeffler said. “As much as we have advertised, some people seem not to know about it.”
Even though this year’s turnout was slightly smaller than last year’s, Loeffler was pleased to see so many familiar faces in the crowd.
“It’s really cool to see the community come out to support us,” she said.
RACE RESULTS
MALE
Place Name Age M/F Age Group Time
1 Zach Perrin 16 M 1 16-19 16:31.3
2 Derrick Williams 18 M 2 16-19 17:21.0
3 Hunter Schutt 17 M 3 16-19 18:15.9
4 Jon Harding 46 M 1 40-49 18:45.3
5 Brent Hartley 36 M 1 30-39 19:17.3
6 Sylas Schutt 15 M 1 13-15 19:37.0
7 Mike Perrin 44 M 2 40-49 20:15.2
8 Adam Cass 19 M 4 16-19 20:29.0
9 Keith Billi 44 M 3 40-49 20:32.7
10 Daniel Tracy 33 M 2 30-39 20:50.6
11 Gavin Rudd 16 M 5 16-19 21:03.1
12 Aaron Johnson 36 M 3 30-39 21:09.1
13 Billy Allen 16 M 6 16-19 21:18.7
14 Gary Bjelland 60 M 1 60-69 21:19.6
15 John Shryock 62 M 2 60-69 21:47.4
16 Vinny Quirk 14 M 2 13-15 22:02.4
17 Jake Perrin 13 M 3 13-15 22:19.5
18 David Lillard 27 M 1 20-29 22:36.8
19 Harry (sps) 16 M 7 16-19 22:42.6
20 Paul (sps) 17 M 8 16-19 22:44.1
21 Paul Soukup 50 M 1 50-59 22:46.0
22 Neil Longhurst 62 M 3 60-69 22:58.0
23 Julian Taylor 21 M 2 20-29 23:00.8
24 Cory Loudermilk 43 M 4 40-49 23:13.1
25 Jim Russell 29 M 3 20-29 23:16.8
26 Spencer (sps) 17 M 9 16-19 23:54.5
27 Mark Vanderveer 44 M 5 40-49 24:09.1
28 John Eliason 45 M 6 40-49 24:32.6
29 David Zander 47 M 7 40-49 24:44.3
30 Scott Taylor 53 M 2 50-59 24:54.0
31 Matthew Whitfield 25 M 4 20-29 25:13.3
32 Colton Stodghill 12 M 1 9-12 25:13.9
33 Don Edsall 60 M 4 60-69 25:25.8
34 Ben Perrin 10 M 2 9-12 25:28.8
35 Tim Carvey 12 M 3 9-12 25:31.6
36 Kyle Thomson 14 M 4 13-15 25:35.1
37 Issac Martel 13 M 5 13-15 25:35.8
38 Michael Shea 54 M 3 50-59 26:01.3
39 Matt Porrovecchio 34 M 4 30-39 26:02.3
40 Mark Suppelsa 49 M 8 40-49 26:22.0
41 Luke Sandry 12 M 4 9-12 26:38.8
42 Kegan Driver 14 M 6 13-15 26:48.9
43 Travis Meiers 30 M 5 30-39 27:00.8
44 Josh (sps) 18 M 10 16-19 27:00.9
45 Eric Mitchell 39 M 6 30-39 27:03.9
46 Tim Glover 10 M 5 9-12 27:04.8
47 Randy Nesges 58 M 4 50-59 27:28.8
48 Trevor (sps) 16 M 11 16-19 27:33.2
49 Caleb Gwynn 11 M 6 9-12 27:37.4
50 Gordan Noel 70 M 1 70-99 27:38.3
51 Tim Tracy 55 M 5 50-59 27:51.3
52 Chris Driver 19 M 12 16-19 28:20.5
53 Dean Stimpson 19 M 13 16-19 28:31.2
54 Morgan Wells 23 M 5 20-29 28:31.9
55 Jordan Houston 21 M 6 20-29 28:32.4
56 Jordan White 33 M 7 30-39 29:13.3
57 Dane Russell 21 M 7 20-29 29:24.3
58 Eli Hunt 9 M 7 9-12 29:26.9
59 Marc James 11 M 8 9-12 30:05.9
60 Mark Buckwalter 32 M 8 30-39 31:28.5
61 Bart Lander 55 M 6 50-59 33:27.0
62 William Lyon 27 M 8 20-29 34:23.3
63 Jeff Migneault 38 M 9 30-39 38:18.5
64 Andrew Freeman 26 M 9 20-29 38:32.6
65 Charles Vernon 44 M 9 40-49 39:02.4
66 Brad Stodghill 43 M 10 40-49 41:09.4
67 Zach Hose 9 M 9 9-12 41:15.7
68 Phil Johnson 62 M 5 60-69 43:32.5
69 Thane Borgen 6 M 1 0- 6 50:01.4
70 Derek Todd 54 M 7 50-59 51:16.6
71 Brach Thomson 43 M 11 40-49 51:44.2
72 Doug Fraley 47 M 12 40-49 51:45.1
73 Paul Jorgensen 66 M 6 60-69 51:54.0
74 John Meiers 62 M 7 60-69 52:58.5
75 David Armstrong 64 M 8 60-69 58:07.3
76 Pat Whitcomb 45 M 13 40-49 58:07.9
77 Matt Whitcomb 9 M 10 9-12 58:08.4
FEMALE
1 Jessica Sagen 18 F 1 16-19 20:58.2
2 Marcella Sandry 47 F 1 40-49 21:36.1
3 Lizzy Ryan 18 F 2 16-19 22:06.0
4 Lisa Perrin 42 F 2 40-49 23:21.6
5 Elizabeth Grundy 47 F 3 40-49 23:26.3
6 Bekah Ryan 20 F 1 20-29 23:33.7
7 Heather Bodenhamer 14 F 1 13-15 23:33.7
8 Annie Lillard 27 F 2 20-29 23:55.6
9 Zoe Loudermilkk 14 F 2 13-15 24:15.0
10 Emily (sps) 17 F 3 16-19 24:27.7
11 Carlee Brown 14 F 3 13-15 24:48.1
12 Suzanne Hines 38 F 1 30-39 25:13.6
13 Alisha May 39 F 2 30-39 25:25.7
14 Carolyn Taylor 58 F 1 50-59 25:48.1
15 Heather Hartley 33 F 3 30-39 25:59.2
16 Cassie Shields 25 F 3 20-29 26:15.7
17 Rebecca Curtiss 33 F 4 30-39 26:19.0
18 Zoe Zander 14 F 4 13-15 26:30.6
19 Rachel Yeager 29 F 4 20-29 26:30.9
20 Brittany Brook 23 F 5 20-29 26:31.4
21 Melissa Vanderveer 17 F 4 16-19 26:31.6
22 Tessa Cowan 18 F 5 16-19 26:40.6
23 Tia Kohs 14 F 5 13-15 26:49.9
24 Josie Spoklie 14 F 6 13-15 27:33.8
25 Maureen Redfield 69 F 1 60-69 27:35.9
26 Kendra (sps) 16 F 6 16-19 27:38.0
27 Sandy Jahnke 49 F 4 40-49 27:41.0
28 Colleen Sullivan 56 F 2 50-59 28:23.0
29 Jessica McGinnis 29 F 6 20-29 28:23.0
30 Denise Zander 42 F 5 40-49 28:40.2
31 Carrie Ann Smith 34 F 5 30-39 28:41.7
32 Laura White 32 F 6 30-39 29:12.7
33 Shelby Scoggins 17 F 7 16-19 29:33.0
34 Taylor Peck 17 F 8 16-19 29:34.1
35 Olivia Martel 11 F 1 9-12 29:53.8
36 Hannah Perrin 8 F 1 7- 8 30:20.6
37 Kate Butts 50 F 3 50-59 30:23.0
38 Jill Henion 35 F 7 30-39 30:25.3
39 Ellessa Henion 15 F 7 13-15 30:25.4
40 Marissa Hiza 14 F 8 13-15 30:26.7
41 Chelsea Hunter 21 F 7 20-29 30:28.7
42 Dee Peck 46 F 6 40-49 31:11.1
43 Deb Hunt 45 F 7 40-49 31:13.5
44 Brandie Kittle 40 F 8 40-49 31:41.7
45 Margaret Noel 68 F 2 60-69 33:44.2
46 Tammy Smith 44 F 9 40-49 34:09.3
47 Nancy Ziehl 58 F 4 50-59 34:44.4
48 Brianna Drummond 17 F 9 16-19 34:48.7
49 Amy Schmidt 42 F 10 40-49 34:52.5
50 Kianna Wicklund 17 F 10 16-19 35:40.7
51 Erin Tracy 32 F 8 30-39 35:41.0
52 Amelia Lyon 28 F 8 20-29 35:55.0
53 Genovieve Gibson 14 F 9 13-15 36:21.9
54 Sherry Disebastiano 63 F 3 60-69 36:47.8
55 Martha Brookes 60 F 4 60-69 36:47.9
56 Brittany Schnell 15 F 10 13-15 36:55.2
57 Makayla Tull 14 F 11 13-15 36:56.5
58 Tessa Robertson 15 F 12 13-15 36:57.5
59 Susan Johnson 63 F 5 60-69 37:09.2
60 Katherine Gates 27 F 9 20-29 37:23.3
61 Karee McBroom 30 F 9 30-39 37:25.8
62 Suzie Migneault 33 F 10 30-39 38:18.7
63 Alyssa Wallin 13 F 13 13-15 38:21.1
64 Kasia Love 16 F 11 16-19 38:21.5
65 Jaime Degriselles 34 F 11 30-39 38:35.2
66 Kayla Casalegno 14 F 14 13-15 39:00.3
67 Kallister Meagher 14 F 15 13-15 39:16.6
68 Alex Hider 15 F 16 13-15 40:40.6
69 Angie Tull 35 F 12 30-39 40:54.8
70 Maggie Sunderland 52 F 5 50-59 40:57.9
71 Kara Watson 45 F 11 40-49 41:06.8
72 Lisa Thomson 43 F 12 40-49 41:10.6
73 Rebecca Risse 41 F 13 40-49 41:12.1
74 Genica Thomson 10 F 2 9-12 41:12.4
75 Teri Johnson 61 F 6 60-69 41:13.5
76 Karen Adams 53 F 6 50-59 42:44.7
77 Leslie Stodghill 39 F 13 30-39 46:13.4
78 Dylan Schmidt 13 F 17 13-15 47:08.4
79 Abby Fraley 12 F 3 9-12 47:08.6
80 Rebekah Bell 21 F 10 20-29 48:39.0
81 Valarie Kittle 16 F 12 16-19 49:34.9
82 Dana Austin 58 F 7 50-59 50:33.4
83 Shauna Gibson 44 F 14 40-49 50:48.2
84 Julie Roberts 40 F 15 40-49 51:07.1
85 Emily Barker 11 F 4 9-12 51:08.1
86 Lydia Mathwig 15 F 18 13-15 51:13.9
87 Barbara Todd 47 F 16 40-49 51:14.2
88 Alanis Stallknecht 14 F 19 13-15 51:32.3
89 Tracy Wicklund 43 F 17 40-49 51:32.4
90 Brooke Fraley 10 F 5 9-12 51:43.0
91 Julie Fraley 44 F 18 40-49 51:52.0
92 Megan Krogstad 32 F 14 30-39 51:56.1
93 Bobbi Krogstad 55 F 8 50-59 51:56.5
94 Amy Borgen 32 F 15 30-39 52:39.5
95 Taryn Borgen 4 F 1 0- 6 52:39.7
96 Jeannie Jorgensen 64 F 7 60-69 52:45.5
97 Corrine Satrong 65 F 8 60-69 59:06.2
98 Bridgett Martel 41 F 19 40-49 59:07.8
99 Payton Schwartz 16 F 13 16-19 59:08.0
100 Blanche Flanagan 64 F 9 60-69 59:16.0