WEEKEND EVENTS FOR OCTOBER 17 - 18

If you've spent all summer dreaming of nice, cool fall weather, you're dreams are just about to come true.  Under clear skies all weekend, Saturday's high temperature is only going to be in the mid 60s; Sunday's will be in the mid 70s.  You'll need to break out a jacket--morning lows both days will be in the low 40s. Perfect weather for going outdoors and getting some exercise.

We have a local race this weekend.  The fourth annual Lake of the Ozarks Oktoberfest .5K and 5K takes place on Saturday at The Sanctuary Brewery in Osage Beach.  The race starts at 10:00 a.m., and benefits Wonderland Camp.  Scroll far down this column to "Upcoming Events" to get all the details.

Those who registered for the Missouri Forget-Me-Not Horse Rescue's rain-cancelled Run for the Horses 5K back in June are reminded that you get a free entry to the rescue's Fall Festival on Saturday.  (They'll have a list of registered runners at the entrance.)  The event runs from 11:00 to 3:00 (between the morning and afternoon horse feedings).  A familiar face will be there taking photos.  Hang around until 3:00, and I'll try to give you a tour and introduce you to some wonderful, friendly horses. Here's the flyer (click on it for a larger image):

It's time again for the high school cross country conference championships.  Osage and Eldon cross country runners will compete at the Tri County Conference Meet in Eldon on Thursday (10/15).  Also on Thursday, Versailles goes to the Ozark Highlands Conference Meet in El Dorado Springs.  On Friday, Camdenton is competing at the CMAC (Central Missouri Activities Conference) Meet in Jefferson City.  

The Big Dog's World Backyard Ultra Team Championship (UltraSignup page) starts Saturday at 7:00 a.m.   National teams from 69 countries are composed of up to fifteen competitors.  I don' think there's an official Facebook page, but this one should have updates.

Elsewhere:

Columbia:

Rock Bridge Revenge (50K and 25K), Saturday
(LOTO participants (all in 25K race): John Cunningham (Lake Ozark), Kristen Doran (Linn Creek) and Sydney Taylor (Linn Creek))

Steelville (Mark Twain National Forest):

BT Epic mountain bike race (Facebook page), Saturday

Cape Girardeau:

Bigfoot Forest Trail Fun Run (10-hour; 50K maximum), Saturday

Springfield:

Midnight Rat Race (half marathon), Friday night/Saturday morning
Bass Pro Fitness/Rock4Kids Series Zombie Run 5K (children-focused), Saturday

Kansas City and vicinity:

Garmin Kansas City Marathon/Half/10K/5K, Saturday

St. Louis and vicinity:

Minnie Ha Ha 6- and 12-Hour Runs, Fenton, Saturday
The Lou Mile, Downtown north, Saturday
Clayton Community 5K Run/Walk, Clayton, Sunday
Infant Loss Resources Strides 5K, Tower Grove Park, Sunday

Des Moines, Iowa:

Des Moines Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K, Sunday

Bell Buckle, Tennessee:

Big Dog's Backyard Ultra, Saturday

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CENTRAL OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER'S PRETTY IN PINK BUBBLE RUN 5K/10K (posted October 12th)

Results from Saturday's Pretty in Pink Bubble Run 5K/10K in Camdenton haven't yet been posted. I'll keep an eye out for them.

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BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON (posted October 12th)

There were 54,000 finishers at Sunday's Chicago Marathon.  Just one of them was from the Lake area. Kalise Lischwe finished in 4:15:38, placing 1,217th among 3,856 competitors in the women's 35-39 age group.  Kalise appears to have set a new personal best.  Her previous marathon finishes included the Bass Pro Marathon (4:25:59) in 2024, and the BMW Berlin Marathon (4:37:26) in 2025.  (I'm not aware if she ran any others.)

The men's race was won by last year's runner-up, Amos Kipruto of Kenya, in 2:01:09. He, and last year's winner Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, battled it out with two others until Kipruto took the lead for good at mile 21. Kipruto won with a nearly two-minute lead over the second-place finisher.  Kiplimo finished fourth, in 2:04:18.

For the second year in a row, Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia won the women’s race.  She finished in 2:13:33, more than a minute faster than last year's 2:14:56.  Had she run last year's time this year, she would have placed third, behind two past Chicago winners Sharon Lokedi (2:14:07) and Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei (2:14:53).

The complete race results can be found here.  Read the official press release here.

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MELBOURNE MARATHON (posted October 12th)

While the Chicago Marathon gathered much of the attention this past weekend, half a world away, at the Melbourne Marathon, 42 year-old Eliud Kipchoge set a new course record of 2:09:10 on his way to victory.

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Other weekend races (October 3 - 4):

One of our local runners traveled to Willard this weekend for the Spooky Sprint Half Marathon & 5K/10K. Megan Perkins of Camdenton ran the 10K, finishing in 1:12:07, and winning the women's 35-39 age group.

I can't find any results posted for Sunday's Apple Festival Memorial 5K held in Versailles.

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FROG HILL HALF MARATHON & 10K and LEAPFROG 5K (posted October 5th)

The thirteenth annual Frog Hill Half Marathon & 5K/10K took place in Waynesville on Friday-Saturday.

Four runners from the Lake area competed at this year's race.  

Jim McDermott ran the half marathon, finishing in 2:22:10--fifteen minutes faster than last year.  Among the 16 male finishers, Jim placed 14th.

Natasha Boettcher took fourth (of five) in the 5K/Half Marathon Challenge, finishing in a combined 2:43:05.  (She finished the half in 2:13:42, and the 5K in 29:23.)

Jordan Webb of Camdenton competed in the 5K/10K Challenge, in which he placed second (of sixteen).  He ran the 10K in 54:25, and the 5K in 24:35.)

Mariha Waters of Sunrise Beach ran the 5K, crossing the line in 27:38 and placing fifth (of 56 women).

The legendary, 89 year-old Bob Gravely, a Salem resident who's a near fixture at the Honoring Our Heroes race in November, finished the 10K in 1:54:33, beating last year's finish time by 15 seconds.

Complete results can be found here.  The race's Facebook page contains lots of photos.

Here are the number of finishers of each distance for the last ten races:

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LAKER INVITATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR OCTOBER 2-3 (posted October 5th)

Here are the top finishers for our local high school cross country teams that competed at the Laker Invitational meet on Friday-Saturday.

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LAKE OF THE OZARKS OKTOBERFEST .5K AND 5K RUN/WALK (posted October 3rd)

The fourth annual Lake of the Ozarks Oktoberfest .5K and 5K will be held on Saturday, October 17th at The Sanctuary Brewery on Osage Beach Parkway. (The brewery is located next door to Gran Rally Go Karts and close to Culver's.) The race starts at 10:00 a.m.

The entry fee is $15 for the .5K, and $40 for the 5K. Proceeds from the race benefit Wonderland Camp.

5K participants receive a t-shirt, a swag item, and a coupon for a free beer at The Sanctuary.

Those stepping up to take on the challenge of the .5K won't get the swag item, but will still be able to purchase a shirt for $15.

Online registration is available through 10:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 15th.

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PHYLICIA CARSON MEMORIAL 5K (posted October 3rd)

The third annual Phylicia Carson Memorial 5K Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, November 7th at Osage Beach City Hall. Phylicia Carson was an Osage Beach police officer who tragically died in the line of duty on Labor Day weekend in 2024, leaving behind a husband and six children.

Race-day registration will be open from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The pre-race festivities begin at 8:35, and the run/walk will start at 9:00 a.m. 

The entry fee for those 18-and-over is $30, or $35 on race day. T-shirts can only be guaranteed for those who register on or before October 1st.  Participants under 18 run or walk free of charge. 

T-shirts can be purchase at the event for $20.

Proceeds from the race benefit The Phylicia Carson 916 Foundation.

Online registration and more details can be found here.

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I'll post details of these upcoming events as soon as I can. Until then, here are links to them:

Saturday, October 17: Oktoberfest .5K and 5K

Saturday, November 7:  Phylicia Carson Memorial 5K

Saturday, November 14: Ozark Diamond Gauntlet 3/6/9/12-Hour and 1-Lap Races

Thanksgiving Day, November 26: LOTO Turkey Trot 5K and Fun Run