Bear Creek Run Half Marathon Held

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

More than 200 runners and walkers participated in the inaugural Bear Creek Run Half Marathon on October 18. The 13.1 mile run/walk on the Bear Creek Trail was organized by Columbia Parks and Recreation. The half marathon began at Albert-Oakland Park, went along the trail to Cosmo Park, then back to Albert-Oakland.  

Overall best finishers were Josh Huber of Columbia as top male with a time of 1:21:20. Top female was Laura Nerling of Columbia with a finish time of 1:41:41.  Each of them won a $100 prize.

The entry fee of $40 for the race included a performance fabric race shirt, finisher medal, age group awards, post-race snack and chip timing for all participants.

Runners came from 40 different Missouri communities to the event, as well as two neighboring states. Participant ages ranged from 15 up to 68.

Plans are already underway for next year's Bear Creek Run Half Marathon, which will be held on Oct. 17, 2015. Parks and Recreation will once again offer pre-race training for beginning runners, with a 20-week Couch to Creek session. It will be held next summer, with more details available in the spring Leisure Times activity guide.

Co-sponsors of the Bear Creek Run Half Marathon were the ARC, Focus on Health and Blenders. For more information, call Parks and Recreation at 874-7460.