Race Recap: Holiday Run
In my mind, the Holiday Run is perfect when there’s snow on the ground! That’s when the cookies and hot chocolate at the finish line taste best, when the scenery matches the season, when the morning is magical as sunlight makes the snow sparkle.And this year delivered. The snow fell on Saturday as people streamed into the Lincoln Running Company to pick up race numbers, jingle bells, and green Capital Humane Society ornaments. Sunday morning arrived, overcast and a chill in the air, and snow on the trail.More than two hundred dogs and their humans—a total of five hundred (human) runners—gathered at the starting line. And then we were off, running east on the cross country course that Nebraska high school and college runners pound in the late summer and fall. The bells jingled, the dogs barked, and snow proved to be quite challenging!
After so many feet, the snow became a bit slippery. It was definitely a workout! And as the temperature climbed a bit, runners were hit with snow sliding off tree branches (or were the squirrels zigging snowballs?). As the course cut down through the Pinewood Bowl, the surface was muddy and mucky in short stretches. Choo-choo hill was still steep and especially so with the slippery snow by that point.The dogs definitely knew how to finish—most were pulling their owners across the finish line. Happy for a fun morning run in the snow!This race was also the two-year anniversary for Ranger McCurdy, who was adopted after the 2014 Holiday Run! Close to $5,000 was raised for the Capital Humane Society. Thank you to everyone who dressed up, who dressed up their dogs, who adopted their dog (or dogs) from the Capital Humane Society, and to all who came out to run and support the Capital Humane Society.
