At the Norway Spring Classic races over this past weekend, a 2-mile walk or run event was happening for families and casual runners, but there were also courses for those looking to challenge themselves, such as the 5k or 10k. Jill Johnson, a health occupations teacher at the ISD and an oncology RN at Marshfield Medical Center, Dickinson, was thrilled to be participating in the event.
“All the hills on this course killed me. So every year I was like 5k, right away, Norway Classic is the way to go. If you want to start off your running really fast, right? This is the first year I’ve ever actually ran all the way through winter, so it motivated me to stay healthy all winter. So I’m doing the 10k for the very first time,” announced Johnson.
She had struggled with the hills on the course in the past, but this year she had trained all winter and was eager to take on the 10k for the very first time. The sunshine beamed down on the racers, and smiles were abundant even amid the most challenging courses, including Johnson’s six-mile dash that had her conquering a total of nine hills.
Despite the difficulty, Johnson reveled in the experience, loving the fact that the race was one of the earliest of the year, and that the weather was always unpredictable. She was proud to see community members of all ages participating in the race, including parents taking their children on the 2-mile course.
On one trail, a group of fifth-grade girls led by Baya Buchcuski ran together, just happy to be outside enjoying the warm weather and having a good run.
When asked about the 2-mile run with the fifth-graders, Baya Buchcuski commented, “I’ve done the 5k a couple of years ago, but we’re doing the 2-mile and all of us just kind of wanted to do it.”
Meanwhile, the first-place medalists for the women’s 10k were Katie Brown of Iron Mountain, Molly Stenfors of Vulcan, and Sandra Adams of Quinnesec. The men’s 10k firsts were claimed by Michael Knoebel of Florence, Chris Hebert, Jon Labyak of Ontonagon, Greg Kulas of Iron Mountain, and Steve Cavalieri of Iron Mountain.
Amber Zychowski was named Overall Female in the Women’s 10k, clocking in at 46 minutes and 30 seconds. Rob Cavalieri took Overall Male for the Men’s 10k with a time of 45 minutes and 38 seconds. Notably, the group of fifth-grade girls managed to grab medals.
Natalie Ghere put in a strong performance, managing to hold her ground and earning 6th place. Her classmates, Brielle Bacon and Lyric Gunville grabbed first and second place. Baya Buchcuski secured herself a fifth place spot. The fifth-grade girls team were all thrilled with their success, and the experience was sure to stay with them for a long time to come.
