By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Dozens of Sitkans ran in a variety of events and one shattered an old record on a hot morning, Saturday in the revived Medvejie Solstice Run, on the Green Lake road.
The traditional race wasn’t run in 2020, and the new race co-director, Jenn McNichol, was happy to be back.
“The weather totally set in, people were pretty fired up and excited to have a race, to have an event where people are around each other and had great weather. I would say people were pretty stoked,” McNichol said in a subsequent interview.
Runners set off from Herring Cove on a warm and sunny morning in the 2021 Medvejie Solstice Run, Saturday. At far left wearing a tye-dye shirt, Sitka High alumnus Asa Demmert checks his watch. Demmert won the half marathon race by a wide margin, coming in at 1:21:54. Demmert now runs for Fort Lewis College in Colorado. (Photo provided by Carolyn Black)
She took the helm of the race after longtime directors Murray Lawson and Carolyn MacIntyre stepped down near the end of last year. The event is a fundraiser for the Sitka High School cross country and track and field teams.
The 61 participants were spread almost evenly among three events, a 5k, a 10k, and a half marathon.
“There was a great variety, we had the youngest runners who were, I don’t know, seven years old. We had a mom pushing a stroller with a toddler in it. We had pretty much a newborn baby on a 5k walk,” McNichol recalled. “We had a woman whose due date to deliver her baby was Friday and she was doing a 5k walk. And then we had Charles Horan running the half marathon, he was probably our senior runner. (He finished in) 2:08:52.”
A teacher at Mt. Edgecumbe High set a record in the Medvejie 10k women’s race.
“One record was broken and it’s kind of a cool thing, it was the women’s 10k. Emily Routon broke the record with a time of 44:46 and the record she broke was from 2014 and it was a time of 45:18 and that record was held by herself and Emily Clark,” McNichol said. Routon’s husband Aaron holds the men’s record in the Medvejie 10k.
Routon was glad to experience the race atmosphere again.
“I love the race vibe. It was a buzz, you know you show up and there’s people congregating and all the race energy is fabulous to be a part of,” Routon told the Sentinel over the phone. “And this is a great race. They handed over the baton to the directors but they handed the baton to good people and it seemed like a slick transition.”
Emily Routon celebrates as she breaks through the finish ribbon during Saturday’s Medvejie Solstice Run. (Photo provided by Carolyn Black)
True to its name, the Solstice Run took place under a full sun. Routon said the heat was the biggest challenge for her on the course, but her sights are already set on breaking the record again next year.
“I didn’t know what to expect, actually, because I started really strong and in that second half I felt like I slowed down. The heat was the largest obstacle for me on that course… that last mile I puttered out, I was actually disappointed, I felt very strong. Next year I’ll be back and hopefully I can beat the record again,” she said.
Routon is also registered for the Alpine Adventure Run in July.
Looking back on a year lost to the pandemic, Routon said she runs less often when there’s no race scheduled.
“Pressure was off, so you know it’s nice to have a race on the calendar, because otherwise, at least for me… I’m not going to run hard if there’s not a race on the calendar,” Routon said. “It’s been really nice to have the Alpine on the calendar.”
The 2020 Alpine run was held virtually over a number of months, with no large-scale event in July, but the iconic event is scheduled to make a comeback next month.
While Routon shattered her 10k record by a wide margin, John Baciocco – McNichol’s husband – was the first male to finish. He ran the course in 45:31.
The races began and ended at Herring Cove, though runners traversed varying amounts of the Green Lake road to the Medvejie hatchery and lake, depending on which race they chose to run. Sara Loving took third in the 10k at 45:40.
In the 5k race, Sitka High runner Hank Maxwell took first in 19:18, followed by Clare Mullin at 20:40. Mike Mullin snagged third in 21:04.
In the 13.1 mile half marathon, Asa Demmert won at 1:21:54, followed minutes later by his teammate at Fort Lewis College, Braedon Sitmann, who came in second at 1:24:27.
Emily Routon’s husband Aaron Routon took third in 1:28:41, followed by Dominic Baciocco, McNichol’s son, at 1:28:57. Dom Baciocco runs for Santa Clara University in California. Coming in fifth place was Robin Welling, the first female to finish, crossing the line at 1:39:04.
Emily Routon expressed appreciation for those who helped run the race this year.
“We’ve got to thank the race directors, it was awesome. We definitely miss Carolyn and Murray out there because their faces are always at Medvejie… It’s a huge time commitment to do something like that – (we’re) thankful for all the new folks,” she said.
McNichol stressed that she didn’t direct the race on her own.
“I had Erica Knox and KK Prussian as co-race directors… The volunteers that helped us out, including Chris Horan, were really key. KK Prussian’s brother and nephew and husband were all super helpful,” McNichol said. “Randy and Bridget Hitchcock each staffed a water station and their daughter ran. Terry Lovett was our sweeper on the bike as he traditionally is… Tawny and Shasta Smith were both super helpful as volunteers.” Carolyn Black was also present as both an athletic trainer and photographer.
NcNichol noted the presence of fresh bear scat on the road on Saturday morning, but no ursuline wildlife appeared, she said.
The full results of all three races are below.
Five Kilometer Race
1. Hank Maxwell 19:18 – first male
2. Clare Mullin 20:40 – first female
3. Mike Mullin 21:04
4. Amber Johnson 21:37
5. Lola Hitchcock 25:03
6. Hannah Reynolds 25:52
7. Tracey Johnson 28:04
8. Axel Minks 31:00
9. Karin Minks 31:34
10. Carol Vorst 33:24
11. Alix Oyler 33:42
12. Lesley Garcia 34:14
13. Sarah Nelson 34:54
14. Mary Jacobs 35:42
14. Jerry Jacobs 35:42
16. Alexander Johnson 36:56
17. Elianna Youngberg 37:33
17. Kris Wilcox 37:33
19. Kristine Hole 59:23
19. Andrea Colvin 59:23
19. Heather Lockwood 59:23
22. Jeanne Loving 1:04:47
Ten Kilometer Race
1. Emily Routon 44:46 – first female- RECORD
2. John Baciocco 45:31 – first male
3. Sara Loving 45:40
4. Mike Schinke 49:41
5. Carly Dennis 52:06
6. Erika Youngberg 52:32
7. Marissa Carson 53:05
8. David Jacobs 56:09
9. Glenn Magbanua 57:27
10. Brett Wilcox 59:24
11. Kirstin Karsunky 1:03:28
12. Sarah Leclerc 1:04:14
13. Breanne Erickson 1:11:47
14. Toni Swearingen 1:12:56
15. Thelton Rear 1:56:53
16. Kacie Rear 1:57:10
16. Danielle Roberts 1:57:10
16. Aubrey McCarty 1:57:10
Half Marathon
1. Asa Demmert 1:21:54 – first male
2. Braedon Sitmann 1:24:27
3. Aaron Routon 1:28:41
4. Dominic Baciocco 1:28:57
5. Robin Welling 1:39:04 – first female
6. Ashley McNamee 1:41:36
7. Logan Evans 1:44:29
8. Dan Dunn 1:47:20
9. James Taggart 1:53:33
10. Tasha Folsom 1:56:37
11. Alan Maloney 1:58:18
12. Mike Standridge 1:59:38
13. Anna Laffney 2:04:10
13. Devon Calvin 2:04:10
15. Kristi Kraft 2:06:04
16. Erica Ebert 2:06:12
17. Charles Horan 2:08:52
18. David White 2:18:04
19. Haley White 2:18:10
20. Heidi Erzen 2:28:50
