Amish ? Irish? Either way it was a Fun Run

A healthy crowd of about forty NERC members donned green and raced the buggies in Geauga County on Sunday (March 17th). OK maybe not buggy races but I did see Steve & Rich Novack outrun a crowd of Amish walking down the road!  Steve did a great job (yet again) in organizing us.  With maps and pre-run instructions there were distances for all levels. Turn around at the stone house for 2 miles if there were any walkers in the bunch, or maybe go on to the caboose for a 4 miler, how about flashing stop signs for a turn around?  Venture out to the ‘big’ water stop, which was decked out like a mini aid station with snacks and you did just under 10. Quite a large crowd did the entire route  by adding a nice loop after the ‘big’ water stop (13 to 14 miles).  This extra adventure resulted in a very chilling wind on a long uphill that made a few of us think twice about the decision to go on.  It was worth it though, Andy Rattray greeted us on the gravel road with a surprise water stop and the rest of our run was out of the wind.

 For some reason I’ve neglected to mention the hills, there were a lot!  The group was in agreement, this is a challenging course and we were all happy to be done.  To help distract you from ‘the ups’ there were many beautiful views of the rolling country side with snow covered hills and pristine farms.  By the time we got back to town, Burton Square was bustling with activity as the crowds were enjoying another type of running.  It’s spring and the sap is running in all of the maple trees.   The cabin in the middle of town is there to satisfy your curiosity and sweet tooth.  The rest of town is there to greet you with many options for a pancake breakfast, a book sale at the library and the firetrucks for kids to explore. 

As is tradition, the NERC crowd filled up the back of Belle's as we enjoyed the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and multiple conversations on running.  This year there was quiet the variety on the buffet, including made-to-order omelettes but alas no GREEN eggs and ham?

  
Join us next year and you too can get a glimpse of the simplicity of Amish life as you run past the farms and various businesses you won’t find in our hectic cities.


Written by Amy Frank-Hensley