WEEKEND EVENTS FOR OCTOBER 2 - 3 - 4

October begins with a big race weekend. There are plenty of races from which to choose.  After a soggy Thursday and Friday, showers may continue into Saturday, but Sunday's forecast calls for clear skies and cool temperatures.

The weekend's activities include a local race.  On Sunday, the Old Tyme Apple Festival in Versailles will hold its second annual Apple Festival Memorial 5K. The race honors Ryan Simpson, a Versailles High School student and cross country runner who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in June 2025. For all the details and to register, click here.

The big, two-day Laker Invitational high school cross country meet, hosted by Camdenton High School, takes place on Friday and Saturday mornings at Ha Ha Tonka.  (The middle school race takes place Thursday afternoon.) The list of participating teams isn't yet available, but Osage, Macks Creek, Versailles--and certainly Camdenton--should be there.

If you're willing to do a little traveling, the Frog Hill Leap Frog 5K takes place 6:00 Friday evening at Waynesville Park.  The half marathon and 10K start at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

The MO' Cowbell Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K/10K has always been held the first weekend in October, but this year's race has been moved to November 8th. All races sold out last year. The marathon is sold out, and a few 5K spots are left. The half marathon and 10K are still open, so if you're contemplating doing either one, don't wait too long to register.

Elsewhere:

Waynesville:

Frog Hill Half Marathon, 10K & 5K (Facebook page), 5K on Friday evening; half & 10K on Saturday (LOTO participants:  Natasha Boettcher and Mariha Waters are doing the 5K/half marathon challenge; Jordan Webb is doing the 5K)
Nasty Pulaski Gravel Grind bicycle races, Saturday (this year's race has been cancelled)

Middle Brook (Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park):

Devil's Toll Gate Race (13-mile run & hiking races), Saturday

Springfield:

Run Upside Down 5K, Saturday
Pound the Pavement for Parkinson's 5K, Saturday
Spooky Sprint (5K/10K/half marathon), Sunday

Highlandville (south of Springfield):

Trailfest (5K/10K/Half Marathon), Two Rivers Bike Park, Sunday

Joplin:

Glow the Distance 5K/10K, Saturday evening

Kansas City and vicinity:

Oktoberfest 5K/10K, Sunday

St. Louis and vicinity:

Ride the Rivers Century (bicycle ride), St. Charles, Saturday
St. Peter Dash 5K, Kirkwood, Saturday
Harris House Run for Recovery 5K, St. Charles, Saturday
Celebrate Life 5K, Forest Park, Sunday

Kirksville:

FLATS Trail Half Marathon, Saturday

Perryville, Arkansas:

Arkansas Traveller 100, Saturday

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 26th (posted September 28th)

Here are the top finishers for our local high school cross country teams, all of whom competed at the Mark Sabala Cross Country Dam Invitational held on Saturday in Hermitage. Complete results can be found here.

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HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY MEET RESULTS FOR SEPTEMBER 19th (posted September 21st)

Here are the top finishers for our local high school cross country teams at meets held on Saturday.

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Other weekend races (September 19 - 20th):

Three runners from the Lake area traveled to Springfield on Saturday for the Running from Squatch 5K/10K/Half. The YMCA's Kim Sovcik did the 10K, finishing in 1:31:29, and placing 54th among 65 women.  Forty-five runners took on the "Squatch-Fecta", consisting of the 5K, 10K and half marathon. (Results for that race showed more split and pace information than I've ever seen before--42 columns of data.)  Rebeka Lortz of Lake Ozark finished the Squatch-Fecta in 5:40:58, placing 24th of 44 finishers.  Austin Reed of Rocky Mount ran the 10K (2:31:00) and half (2:42:58), but not the 5K, so he was listed as DNF.

The biggest race in the state this weekend was the Kansas City Zoo's Run for the Hornbills 5K. They had 2,242 participants in the race, down just a tad from 2,315 last year. 

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CENTRAL OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER'S PRETTY IN PINK BUBBLE RUN 5K/10K (posted September 4th)

The Central Ozarks Medical Center will hold its second annual Pretty in Pink Bubble Run 5K/10K on Saturday, October 10th, starting at their facility in Camdenton at 1652 N. Business Route 5. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. The race webpage says that the finish line is at Ozarks Amphitheater. 

Only those who register on or before October 6th are guaranteed a t-shirt.

For more information or to register, click here. The event's Facebook page has additional information.  COMC's Facebook page is 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:

Sunday, October 4: Apple Festival Memorial 5K

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