Runners take off at the start of the Winterville Civitan Snowflake 10K on Saturday. There were 210 runners, of which 170 raced in person. (Photo/Olivia Shapiro)
Civitan Snowflake 10K kicks off Firefly Trail series
Olivia Shapiro
For Randy Randall , the Winterville Civitan Snowflake 10K was more than an ordinary race.
Randall started running several years ago to lose weight, but in 2021, he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. He also ran in the Winterville Snowflake 10K last year.
“I ran races the whole time I was going through my chemo and everything,” Randall said. “Since I had my chemo, I’m a lot slower than I used to be, but I’m just trying to build back up to what I was before I was sick.”
Although Randall was committed to run through his illness and the cold temperatures on Saturday, the weather kept some away from the 10K — with about 70 less runners than last year.
“The turnout was a little lower, but it was still just fine,” race president Michael Law said. “We had about 210 runners, and I think about 170 of
them came in person. We had quite a few virtual and then, you know, a few people that just didn’t make it.”
There were 277 runners in last year’s race; some participants ran virtually, but most took part in person.
This race is the first of four in the Firefly Race Trail series, which is held to raise awareness of the Firefly Trail, a planned 39-mile rail-trail that will connect Athens-Clarke, Oglethorpe and Greene counties from Athens to Union Point.
Third-place men’s finisher Jim Berry recently relocated from Delaware to Athens and works in the economics department at the University of Georgia.
“I ran in high school and a little bit in college, and I took a few years off, and I’m sort of, since the last few years, I’ve been getting back into it,” Berry said.
Beck Wolf-Hardy (Athens), Kevin Burke (Athens) and Berry were the top three male finishers.
Catherine Peacock (Athens), Angel Jarvis and Melissa Landers-Potts (Watkinsville) were the top three female finishers.
The Snowflake 10K will soon announce changes for next year’s race.
“Look out for changes and improvements,” Firefly Trail series organizer Carole Black said.
The Maxeys Model Mile 5K, the next race in the series, is scheduled for April 29.