The running group started by community members Wendy Raynor and Lori Timko is more about fun than anything else and a way to get people out of their houses and onto the trail to enjoy the natural environment Winnemucca has to offer.
For the past three years, Raynor has been a solo runner. When Timko started running last November, she needed the extra push that a running partner could give her. Raynor said the two got together and discussed the benefits of group running. Shortly after they decided to start the free running group, "Got Runs?" that is open to anyone in the community.
"We wanted it to be a free group that people could come out and enjoy," Raynor said.
The group is open to males and females, beginners and established athletes, walkers, runners and even moms and dads pushing strollers. Raynor said the goal of the group is to get the community more active.
"It's more about fun than it is about anything else," she said. "I want people to get out and enjoy our countryside."
Raynor said she used to be strictly a road runner until she teamed up with Timko, a trail runner.
Now, many of the routes the group runs are on trails throughout the community. Some runs the group does on a regular basis include Winnemucca Mountain, Water Canyon and Bloody Shins.
The group meets every Saturday between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Usually Timko and Raynor lead the group with one in the front and one in the back. Runners and walkers of all levels are welcome and one of the leaders stays in the back with the slowest person, Raynor said; the last thing the group wants is for people to be deterred because they don't think they can keep up.
"We never leave anybody out on the trails," she said. "We always wait for the last person."
Even though the group welcomes beginner runners and walkers, Raynor said Got Runs? is a great group to get involved with for anyone training for a long run like a half marathon or marathon.
"It's a great group to get involved in if you are training because it gives you that support and that accountability," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to get those miles in."
Some group members, including Raynor and Timko, are training for the Avenue of the Giants half marathon and marathon in May in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The group also runs 5Ks and 10Ks on a regular basis, but the next big event after the marathon is the Ruby Mountain Relay.
The group is seeking sponsorships to help cover the entrance fee but is hopeful it can participate. The relay consists of teams of six or 12 and begins in Lamoille Canyon, wraps around the Ruby Mountains and ends in Ely. The 184-mile race lasts 36 hours.
For information, contact Raynor at waraynor@gmail.com or (774) 304-1998, Timko at (775) 455-5145 or visit the group's Facebook page.
Contact Jessica Powell at j. powell@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
