This is the latest in a rotating series of stories about the Iron Horse Half Marathon.
By Nick Jones
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecoimmunications
The annual Iron Horse Half Marathon is returning to Midway and the race will again be run with the community in mind.
By Nick Jones
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecoimmunications
The annual Iron Horse Half Marathon is returning to Midway and the race will again be run with the community in mind.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, Midway will welcome about 1,450 runners
who will have the opportunity to see 13.1 miles of some of the finest horse
farms and pastoral beauty Kentucky has to offer. Race organizer Chuck Griffis
of John’s Run/Walk Shop met with the Midway Messenger staff to preview the
sixth event.
Race organizer Chuck Griffis discusses the route of the race. |
“We really have to credit the city of Midway and the
community and the surroundings with the success of this race,” Griffis said.
“We want to make sure it is a good experience for the participants and we also
want to be a reasonable impact on the community.”
With the Iron Horse Half Marathon being held on Sunday
morning, though, it presents a potential traffic interruption for local
churchgoers.
The route of the race, mainly Spring Station Road and
Weisenberger Mill Road, will be closed from 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Sunday,
limiting access to parts of the town during certain hours. But with the Iron
Horse Half Marathon having such a positive impact on the community each year,
two churches in Midway have adapted to get involved with the event.
“The Midway Christian Church has their church service at
7:30 in the morning and then opens the community portion of the church at 8
a.m. and hosts a pancake breakfast for the families of the people who are there
for the race and it helps them raise money for the Midway Ministerial
Association,” Griffis said.
This year for the first time, the Midway Baptist Church will
also have an 8 a.m. breakfast, canceling its early morning service and having
one service at 10:45 a.m.
Other organizations benefit from the race, too. Proceeds go
to several local charities that help make the event so special. The Woodford
Humane Society, a non-profit animal adoption center in Versailles, is the main
beneficiary. Griffis praised the organization for providing hundreds of
exceptional volunteers over the years to help make sure the race is run
smoothly.
As suggested by Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, other
donations will go not only to the city but other charitable organizations
chosen by race organizers: the Midway Area Ministerial Association will get a
donation as a result of the race, and the Versailles Police Department and the
Woodford County Sherriff’s Department will receive an increased contribution to
support funding for their “Shop With a Cop” program that provides Christmas
gifts for poor children.
Both of those charities can expect a donation of around
$1,500, Griffis said.
Midway is a town that historically boasts a reputation of
being an attractive tourist destination, and the Iron Horse Half Marathon will
only add to that. Nearly a third of the participants come from outside the
state and about half from outside Central Kentucky, Griffis said.
“We feel strongly that we bring a number of people into the
community, expose them to the business community of Midway – to the downtown,
to the restaurants, to the shops – and hopefully at some point they’ll return,”
Griffis said.
Running USA estimates that for every racer in a half marathon,
1.5 guests join them in support of the race. This means the population of
Midway will more than double on Sunday, something Griffis said is not
universally welcomed by local residents.
“To say that everyone in the community would welcome us,
that would be pretty optimistic and pretty unrealistic on our part,” Griffis
said. “But we do want them to know that in return for accommodating us, we will
try to do everything we can to make it less of an inconvenience for them.”
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