victorian

 

It was a colder than the Dickens Run & Walk

It was cold as the Dickens, and yet about 70 brave souls participated in the 1st Dickens of a Run & Walk Dec. 7 in Stoughton.

The temperatures were in the single digits as people in reindeer and elf costumes, children, older adults and a dog made the 5K or 2K trek through the streets of historic Stoughton during its lovely Victorian Holiday Weekend. Besides participants from Wisconsin, there were runners from California, Georgia and Iowa.

There were fruit baskets for the top place 5K runners, hand-knitted stockings full of coal for the foolhardy participants who came in last and fruit cakes for the best and least dressed.

The Dickens of a Run & Walk is sponsored by and benefits the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative and the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce Victorian Holiday Weekend Committee.

It was a Dickens of a lot of fun.

5K run results

Place
Finish Time
Name
Bib # 
Division
1
22:06
 Tom Zuhlke
36
Male
2
22:18
 Ryan King
35
Male
3
22:31
 Dale Knapp
21
Male
4
22:48
 Adam Strehlow
22
Male
5
23:05
 Beth Medinger
33
Female
6
23:51
 Tim Roberts
3
Male
7
24:14
 Karl Baumeister
9
Male
8
24:16
 Chris Goehrig
7
Male
9
24:26
 Ryan Galante
15
Male
10
24:33
 Hanni Witzig
14
Female
11
24:35
 Jay Johnson
31
Male
12
25:26
 Jim McGrogan
4
Male
13
25:36
 Buddy Rabun
42
Male
14
26:22
 Levi Von Oort
29
Male
15
28:00
 Peter Ives
23
Male
16
28:18
 John Hurtenbach
40
Male
17
28:25
 Shannon Davis
5
Female
18
28:43
 Alexandra Weeden
44
Female
19
29:51
 Spencer Weeden
45
Children
20
29:52
 Trent Halverson
37
Male
21
29:53
 Jenny Wedvick
49
Female
22
30:04
 Steven Schroeder
43
Male
23
30:09
 Tamara Houser
41
Female
24
30:14
 Amy Ketterer
11
Female
25
30:36
 Amy Connell
30
Female
26
31:49
 Klare Girgen
18
Female
27
31:49
 Wanda Keniston
48
Female
28
32:12
 Brian Girgen
19
Male
29
32:56
 Heidi Hoffland
39
Female
30
32:57
 Gary Tarpinian
51
Male
31
33:16
 Carol Fields
16
Female
32
33:16
 Matthew Tarpinian
50
Male
33
33:17
 Sally MacLaren-Meuer
17
Female
34
33:42
 Jacob Likeric
1
Male
35
33:42
 Nate Nolting
34
Male
36
36:54
 Karen Gallagher
38
Female
37
44:43
 Lisa Becher
13
Female
38
45:01
 Lynn Etnier
12
Female
39
46:46
 Nicole Likeric
2
Female

5K run top finishers and other award recipients

Male Adult:

  1. Tom Zuhlke, Wyocena -- 22:06
  2. Ryan King, Madison -- 22:18
  3. Dale Knapp, Stoughton -- 22:31

Female Adult:

  1. Beth Medinger, Madison -- 23:05
  2. Hanni Witzig, Madison -- 24:33

Children (under 13 years of age):

  1. Spencer Weeden, Stoughton -- 29:51

Last place (received hand-knitted stockings full of coal):

  • Male 5K -- Nate Nolting, Lodi, CA
  • Female 5K -- Nicole Likeric, Stoughton

Best dressed

  • Santa and reindeer -- Girls basketball team from Edgerton (Kelsey LaVelle, Bethany Wedvick, Molly McCall, Haley Fritz, Marie Stettler, Tori Wileman, Jennifer Gimmer and Megan Schmidt) -- second place in the 2K
  • The elves -- Carol Fields and Sally MacLaren-Meuer of Stoughton -- they ran the 5K

Least dressed

  • Jim McGrogan of Stoughton -- 25:26 in the 5K and came in 12th place

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Before the run and walk

registration

Despite the frigid temperature, 23 people signed up the morning of the race.

Nicole and Jacob Likeric of Stoughton (below left) were the 1st and 2nd to enter the race.

Amy Ketterer (below) pouts because her mother wouldn't let her run the race in a jog bra and shorts.
1-2
amy-pouting
stretching
deb-jim

Runners (above) stretched and warmed up between the shelves of groceries. Dr. Jim McGrogan (right) pulled an all nighter at the Stoughton ER, took a nap and arrived with 5 minutes to spare. He ran the race in a tank top and boxers to earn pledges for the Co-op and the Victorian Holiday Weekend Fund.

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And they're off for a Dickens of a good run/walk

About 70 runners and walkers and one baby and dog wait for the 10 a.m. start of the jolly jog in the Evergreen State Bank parking lot. The final leg of the race was through downtown Stoughton, and many participants were warm enough to wave.

start
baby-dog
reindeer
2nd place

runners
24-25 waving
19-waving
23-waving walkers
wheeden
dog-others
Jim-running
walkers
trolley-elf

whelanThe jolly trolley elf (left) cheers on the runners. Volunteers Marcia and Arnold Whelan (right) set up the finish line and served as course officials. Phil Caravello (bottom left) of Stoton Cycle designed the course and led the way on his bicycle. Phil and volunteer Kristine Vaughan (below) are happy the race is over. Marcia and Phil also served on the race planning committee.
Phil-bike phil-kristine
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At the finish line

1st-zuhlke 1st-medinger

Wyocena resident Tom Zuhlke (above left) was the first male finisher with a time of 22:06 while Beth Medinger (above right) of Madison was the top female finisher with a time of 23:05. Finishing third was Dale Knapp (below left) of Stoughton with a time of 22:31.
3rd-knapp 34d-witzig
Jim 2K-ben-joe

Dr. Jim McGrogan (above left) did it! Ran the race in a tank top and boxer shorts. He said he didn't feel the cold until he stopped running. Vicki Johnson, Victorian Holiday event coordinator, gives Amy Ketterer (below left) a congratulatory hug.

Although the 2K fun run was not timed, Ben Stefanic (above right) of Stoughton followed by his dad, Joe, were the top finishers. Not far behind them were the reindeer from Edgerton (below right).
amy-vicki edgerton
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Dickens of an awards ceremony

men-winners

The top finishers received baskets full of fresh fruit and grocery items. Top male finishers (left) are Tom Zuhlke, Ryan King and Dale Knapp. Wynston Estis presents Spencer Wheeden (below left) of Stoughton with a basket for being the top finisher in the under 13 division with a time of 29:51. Hanni Witzig and Beth Medinger (below) were second- and first-place women finishers.
1st-place-C women-winners
last-place pledges

Receiving hand-knitted stockings full of coal for finishing last are Nicole Likeric (above left) of Stoughton and Nate Nolting of Lodi, CA. YRGC Board President, Myra Hajny, thanks Dr. Jim McGrogan (above right) for collecting more than $700 in pledges for the Co-op and the Victorian Holiday Fund. Dr. McGrogan was also honored as "least dressed." A best dressed award went to the Christmas elves (below left), Carol Fields and Sally MacLaren-Meuer of Stoughton. Afterwards, a warmer Jim McGrogan and Amy Ketterer agree that it was a wicked cold morning to be running in summer attire.
elves jim-amy
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A warm thanks to everyone

Thank you to all of the runners, walkers and volunteers who made the 1st Annual Dickens of a Run & Walk one of Stoughton’s Victorian Holiday Weekend success stories. It was fun!

Despite temperatures in the single digits, almost 70 runners and walkers participated in a 2- or 5-kilometer run/walk, and a dozen volunteers helped them find their way through the streets of the city. A special thank you to Jim McGrogran who astounded spectators by running in the cold in shorts and a muscle shirt and raised more than $600 in pledges by doing so.

The Dickens of a Run & Walk Committee consisting of YRGC volunteers pulled it all together. Thank you to Deb Piper, Norma Sampson, Marcia Whelan, Phil Caravello and Susan Meyers for donating their time, talent and energy to planning the event. An additional thanks to Laura Anderson for knitting stockings, Ben Stefanic for gathering coal, Wynston Estis for staying up late putting prize baskets together, Arnold Whelan for making and setting up the finish line, and other YRGC volunteers who helped make the first Dickens of a Run & Walk a success.

YRGC and the Chamber hope the Dickens contenders and volunteers wear their hats in honor and return with their friends to run or walk in frosty weather again next year.  Meanwhile, please continue to support the local economy by shopping locally-owned stores in this fair city. Thank you!

Yahara River Grocery Cooperative and Victorian Holiday Weekend Committee
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229 East Main Street,
Stoughton, WI 53589
Phone: 608-877-0947

HOURS
Monday to Friday– 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday to Sunday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 


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2011 RACE RESULTS:
There were a Dickens of a lot of runners and walkers!

2010 RACE RESULTS:
It was a Dickens
of a good run and walk!

2009 RACE RESULTS:
It was a Dickens
of a lot of fun!

scrooge

In the opening stave of A Christmas Carol, Dickens describes Ebenezer Scrooge: "External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him."

 

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