CMC Breaks Record Tue/Thur Run Attendance

Fitness is all well and good when it comes to running, but one Columbia group finds greater pleasure in going the distance.

It's five o'clock in the morning and Mike Tripp is the first to arrive at the forum trail head.

Once a year, tripp sees to it that every one of his guests is accounted for. How many guests? Try 169.

"That's phenomenal on a Tuesday at 5:30 in the morning to get that many people out on running," Joe Bechtold said.

Tripp and fellow Columbia Multisport Club member Bechtold host an annual high attendance day, where the goal is to bring in everyone. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30, Tripp, Bechtold and others routinely go for a 5 to 7 mile run down the Katy Trail.

"It's the last free activity left in this world," Bechtold said.

What began as a simple four man team six years ago, grew to over 80 people per day.

"The first year, 15 was a good number, and we thought that was pretty exciting," Tripp said. "It's really a lot of fun."

While the Katy Trail might bring a few bumps, nicks, scratches, and even the occasional bug bite, there's no question that these runners have fierce dedication.

"My usual running time is 4:15 in the morning with my running partner," Columbia Track Club president Linda LaFontaine said. "This is almost like a biathalon for me, it'll be like a run, a rest, and then a run again."

"It is fun to have the high attendance day," Tripp said. "But what i think what keeps people coming back isn't 5:30 in the morning, it's getting to know people and having someone to be accountable to and also have a friendship with."

Edited by: Field Sutton
Reported by: Michael Brannen - KOMU

Exercise, not Breaking The Record, was the Goal

Columbia Missourian

MKT trail event’s second year draws 167 people, running different distances
By NICK SNOW

For some people 5:30 a.m. is time to call it a night and head home. But for the 167 participants in Tuesday’s Breaking the Record Run, 5:30 a.m. was the perfect time to go for a jog.

The event, sponsored by the Columbia Multisport Club, took place along the MKT trail, beginning at the Forum Boulevard trail entrance. In its second year, the run/walk is an annual event that is open to the public, and includes participants running distances ranging from five miles to 6.6 miles. Last year the event attracted 136 people.

Joe Bechtold, one of the organizers of the run/walk, said the goal of this event is to get people out of the house and exercising.

“We try to get as many people as we can,” participant Phil Schaefer said.
Along with sponsoring Tuesday’s run/walk, the CMC also runs the same course at 5:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday year-round. Schaefer said despite the fact he doesn’t consider himself a morning person, having a very supportive group around him makes it easier to get up in the mornings.
Carolyn Roof, who also participated in Tuesday’s event, echoed Schaefer’s sentiments. She admitted that sometimes it’s hard to get up but she’s afraid she’ll catch grief from her fellow CMC members if she doesn’t show up. She says she enjoys having a routine of working out early in the morning with friends and that it’s a great way to start the day.

Plenty of newcomers joined the CMC for the annual run. Among them were Glenn Good and Laurie Mintz.

“I like exercising, so I thought I’d give it a try,” Good said.
Mintz, who walked the trail, said that the scenery was beautiful and that it motivated her to wake up and join in the festivities.

Along with getting the chance to get out and exercise, some participants received plastic beads as a reward for either perfect attendance throughout the month or participating in their first event.

“The beads are just for fun, but people look forward to the beads,” Schaefer said. It gets people to come out.”