Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   You never know what you’re going to get when you sign up to run the Ned-Ned 5K, 10K or half marathon event.

Sponsored by TEENS Inc. the Nederland-born race is held in early September when one could be setting off into a cold, wet layer of early fall clouds or a balmy, golden-laced day that stuns the senses.

Last Saturday fell into the latter category. A slight frost in the meadows melted as the marathon runners lined up at the start; their elbows bent as they checked their watches, waiting for the go signal. And then, the long-distant pack left the TEENS Inc. parking lot and headed through town, across the bridge and up the hill toward Eldora. A total of 230 runners participated in the three events.

Steve Flokeris, of Fort Collins, was intent on keeping the pace and came across the finish 1:37:15 for a first place time in the half marathon. Maggie Callahan, of Estes Park, was the first female to finish, with a time of 1:40:04. Nederland residents Robert Fulgham, Laurel Reckert and Elise Waldron came in 12th, 13th and 14th, claiming a notch for the Ned racers.

Reckert, Nederland Elementary School principal and second-place winner, had a time of 2:05.24. Reckert said, “It was a beautiful run with the changing leaves and the view from the top of Magnolia Road. It was a bit chilly first thing in the morning. One of the best parts of the race are the volunteers who are jumping up and down when they see you coming.”

Before the 5K race, Jerry, Jennifer and Jessica Hadford stretched the kinks out of their limbs, just as they had done 25 years ago, when they ran as a family. It’s been a while, but Jessica, a former Nederland High School cross-country runner, came in third place in the 5K, with a time of 26:02, with her fiancé, Andy Crook, crossing the finish with the same time.

Nederland resident Scott Cross was the winner of the 5K, with a time of 22:01. Cross has participated in the local event for a decade. “It was a fast course with a big tail wind.” This is the only race that Cross competes in, but he consistently comes in one of the top two slots.

First place in the 10K was Chris Dawes, from New York City, who said he is training for the Chicago Marathon. “It was a painful race. The hills are hard.” Dawes came in with a time of 39:19. The first female 10K runner, Maggie Callahan, said she was very happy to run the race, that the single track was fun.

Local runner Fannie Toorenburg, a winner of the half marathon for the past two years, chose to spend her time cheering the runners on this year. She and her daughter Maxine, 9, greeted the finishers with medals and smiles. “It is nice to contribute in different ways and to see everybody so happy.”

(Originally published in the September 13, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)