BU students compete in annual mini marathon
Stephanie Clouser
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News
By Stephanie Clouser
Every spring, many Bellarmine students don running shoes and participate in Louisville's annual mini marathon, which is a part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Some of these runners are BU athletes looking to stay in shape during the off-season, competitive types who want to challenge themselves, or friends or teammates who want to work together to accomplish a goal.
More than 12,000 runners compete in the annual half marathon and full marathon. The athletes range from the inexperienced to seasoned veterans. All of whom have different expectations and goals for the race.
Sophomore Brittany Norris, who ran the mini marathon last year and plans to run it again this spring, was particularly motivated by the challenge of running the long distance.
"A friend of mine told me about the race and we decided to challenge ourselves by running it. Neither of us were very competitive or worried about how quickly we ran the race," Norris said. "Instead we pushed ourselves just enough to really enjoy ourselves during the race."
Many runners were energized by the large crowds of onlookers throughout the race, especially through the final stretch.
"The race is incredible," Norris said. "There are over 10,000 people who run the race, and thousands who cheer people on throughout the entire length of the race. The finish was crazy, with too many people to run straight. It was difficult to stay in the lines and we kept getting herded by race officials."
Senior Marie Huth agreed.
"Finishing is one of the most amazing feelings. Last year, as I was closing in on the finish line, I heard on the loud speaker, 'Here comes Marie Huth from Loveland, Ohio!' It gave me quite the adrenaline rush," Huth said. "A lot of people have friends and family that come to cheer them on during the race. Since I am not from here, I don't bump into anyone cheering along the way. However, the people that come to watch not only cheer on who they came to watch. They cheer on everyone. It's a great motivation to keep on trucking."
Every spring, many Bellarmine students don running shoes and participate in Louisville's annual mini marathon, which is a part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Some of these runners are BU athletes looking to stay in shape during the off-season, competitive types who want to challenge themselves, or friends or teammates who want to work together to accomplish a goal.
More than 12,000 runners compete in the annual half marathon and full marathon. The athletes range from the inexperienced to seasoned veterans. All of whom have different expectations and goals for the race.
Sophomore Brittany Norris, who ran the mini marathon last year and plans to run it again this spring, was particularly motivated by the challenge of running the long distance.
"A friend of mine told me about the race and we decided to challenge ourselves by running it. Neither of us were very competitive or worried about how quickly we ran the race," Norris said. "Instead we pushed ourselves just enough to really enjoy ourselves during the race."
Many runners were energized by the large crowds of onlookers throughout the race, especially through the final stretch.
"The race is incredible," Norris said. "There are over 10,000 people who run the race, and thousands who cheer people on throughout the entire length of the race. The finish was crazy, with too many people to run straight. It was difficult to stay in the lines and we kept getting herded by race officials."
Senior Marie Huth agreed.
"Finishing is one of the most amazing feelings. Last year, as I was closing in on the finish line, I heard on the loud speaker, 'Here comes Marie Huth from Loveland, Ohio!' It gave me quite the adrenaline rush," Huth said. "A lot of people have friends and family that come to cheer them on during the race. Since I am not from here, I don't bump into anyone cheering along the way. However, the people that come to watch not only cheer on who they came to watch. They cheer on everyone. It's a great motivation to keep on trucking."
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