No Rain Date for Runners

The sky may have been gloomy and menacing with tornados and the threat of flash floods, on Labor Day, but more than 450 runners participated in the Hickory Flat Out 5k before the weather turned from sprinkles to storms, said Cathy Geist, director of the Hide and Seek Day Camp.

Hide and Seek, an affiliate of Seek Ministries, sponsored the event.

The second annual race began at 7:30 a.m. Monday, down East Cherokee Road out of the Mount Zion Baptist Church and back.

“We’re all here to have fun,” said Geist who co-directs the non-profit camp with husband Chad Geist.

The day included a raffle, a climbing wall, and zip line in addition to the two races.

Geist, who grew up in Hickory Flat, said she enjoys the unique opportunity of seeing folks she went to high school with along with business leaders participating in the race and socializing in a different atmosphere as “part of the community,” she said.

Crossing the finish line first was Josh Turner who grew up in Hickory Flat and won the race in his age group.

“I’ve come back to support the ministry,” he said.

Fourth to finish the race with a time of 18.25 minutes was 12-year- old Zac Cantrell who said he’s been running just about every weekend since age 9.  

“The hardest part is finishing,” he said.

Cantrell said his favorite thing about racing is winning awards.

Following the 5K was the one-mile fun run for runners of all ages and skill level. 

Finishing first was Duncan Ingram, who has been running for eight years.

Ingram stood cheering fellow runners across the finish line and posed with second place winner Hayden Waddell who is new to running.  

This was his third race. 

The event was part of the Run & See Georgia Grand Prix Series to benefit  Hide and Seek Day Camp,, according to the registration website.

“He’s done more for running in Georgia than anyone,”  Emcee John Turner said of Gary Jenkins, president of Pacesetter's PR.

Jenkins is founder and coordinator of the Run and See Georgia Grand Prix which draws nearly 70,000 runners each year to over 400 races throughout the state of Georgia, according to the website.

According to Jenkins, race winners were as follows:

Overall Male - Matthew Weiden - 16:49
Overall Female - Lauren Becker - 20:05

Overall Male Master - Howard Brummel - 18:29
Overall Female Master - Missy Shedd - 22:46

All monies generated from the Hickory Flat Out event will go towards funding scholarships and adding fun equipment to the camp, like the zip line added from last year’s contributions, said Geist.

According to Geist, the camp teaches campers about being involved in the community and enjoying opportunities like the 5K event.

“It was such a great community day,” she said.

Anyone interested in donating to the Hide and Seek Day Camp can contact camp directors via the website.