Annual Bill Seymour 5K, half-marathon draws more than 500 runners/walkers

Ron Tschauner finished the Bill Seymour 5K Saturday to loud applause, cheering and a few honking car horns.

The 73-year-old has run in every Bill Seymour event since the races began in 1978. He started with the half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles, which he ran for 22 years, before a medical condition and his age led him to switch to the 5K.

"It just gets a little tougher each year," he said.

Tschauner was unaware that his name and the fact that he has been in all 30 of the Bill Seymour runs was going to be announced Saturday morning, but he wasn't overly surprised.

He finished his run in just under 36 minutes, making for a 12-minute-per-mile pace.

"I was hoping for 14 minutes, so I did better than I thought I would," he said, checking his watch.

His fellow runners congratulated him on his finish, with one pointing out that he "ran the whole way, he didn't walk a step of it."

"Well, I jogged the whole way," Tschauner said with a smile.

Prior to Saturday's race, he said his strategy for the day would be to merely finish his run.

"It's not always easy," he said.

Tschauner came to running late in life. He took up the sport at age 43 after he quit smoking and wanted to lose weight. He quickly became addicted to the exertion.

He tries to run or walk two to five miles a day. His wife is also a runner who tries to get out five days a week.

Tschauner lives in east Hastings and likes to run a route around the Hastings College Campus beginning at 5:30 a.m. He enjoys running because of the way it makes him feel.

"A lot of mornings I feel terrible, but I go out and I feel great when I get back," he said. "It's uplifting."

Saturday's run marked his 349th career race. He used to average 20 races a year; now it's more like 10 or 12. He seeks out races around the state and runs outdoors year round. He has become friends with a lot of his fellow runners and sees them at the various races.

He has also gotten to know the volunteers who help put on events such as the Bill Seymour runs.

"I'd like to say thank you to all the volunteers," he said. "Amy (Rathje) does a good job organizing this race. Us runners, all we have to do is run, (the volunteers) do all the hard work."

Rathje, the health and fitness manager at the Grand Island YMCA, has known Tschauner for three years. She said he has sent her a thank-you card each year for organizing the race.

"He's an awesome guy," she said after giving him a hug before his race.

The pre-race crowd gathered in the Fonner Park parking lot. Many of the runners jogged and stretched while others excitedly chatted with other participants. Spectators took photos and gave words of encouragement as the runners lined up. Children also ran around the parking lot, many of them having participated in the one-mile kids' race.

Along with the announcement about Tschauner's participation in all 30 of the Bill Seymour races, a handful of birthdays were noted before the running began.

Among those celebrating milestones was Laci Zimmer of Lincoln.

Zimmer marked her 30th birthday, which was earlier this year, by running in the 30th annual Bill Seymour race on Aug. 30. She took up running 10 years ago, but only started racing last year. She has run in 5K races before and in half-marathons in Lincoln, as well as South Dakota and St. Louis. She plans to run in her first marathon in December in Honolulu.

"I'm looking forward to Grand Island because it's supposed to be flat," she said the Thursday before the race.

 Zimmer is in the first stages of a quest to run in all 50 states. So far, she has Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri under her belt with Texas and Hawaii coming up.

Like Tschauner, Zimmer started running to lose weight and get in shape.

"It's addictive," she said.

She started racing last year after watching runners in Lincoln in the cold and rain.

"I thought it looked like fun," she said. "Actually, I think it was the free T-shirt. I thought, I'm running anyway, why not get a shirt and run with a bunch of other people?"



5K results women

Overall -- Laura Bauer, 20:20, Kearney

24 & under -- Amber Kulus, 21:14, Phillips; Alli Masat, 23:12, St. Paul; Vanessa VanDiest, 24:01, G.I.

25-29 -- Melissa Reiner, 21:03, Bennington; Maria Maravilla, 22:33, Lexington; Courtney Marsh, 23:45, Anselmo.

30-34 -- Krinstine O'Neill, 21:43, G.I.; Diane Duryea, 24:27, Ord; Steph Gappa, 25:26, Kearney.

35-39 -- Maria Heapy, 24:26, Curtis; Carlotta Hartman, 25:53, G.I.; Laura Fox, 27:01, G.I.

40-44 -- Wendy Duis, 24:15, G.I.; Renita Karmann, 25:06, Cedar Rapids; Linda Seymour, 26:47, Thorton, Colo.

45-49 -- Lori Bunner, 21:51, Dannebrog; Kris Harris, 28:22, G.I.; Tobin Guerrero, 29:52, Chapman.

50-59 -- Deb Kluthe, 23:09, Scotia; Cheryl Uhrmacher, 27:02, Byron; Diane Connelly, 29:10, Shelby.

70+ -- Helen Seymour, 54:01, Lincoln; Altha Pelz, 55:37, Omaha.



5K results men

Overall -- Mark Merritt, 16:28, G.I.

24 & under -- Derrick Joel, 21:59, Beatrice; Brennan Stebbing, 24:14, Dannebrog; Alex Seymour, 25:00, Thornton, Colo.

25-29 -- Jason Hamata, 20:21; Andy Fett, 22:02; Les Korus, 22:21, all of G.I.

30-34 -- Moses Campos, 19:51; Brock Culler, 23:59; Ray Chavez, 25:32, all of G.I.

35-39 -- Ben Yax, 24:26; Scott Fox, 25:46; Ron Smith, 26:07, all of G.I.

40-44 -- Eric Barnes, 17:21, Central City; Conn Narber, 18:28, Phillips; Calvin Hessel, 18:33, G.I.

45-49 -- Randy Jarzynka, 19:28, Cairo; Terry White, 20:32, Kearney; Jeff King, 21:32, G.I.

50-59 -- Rueben Sanchez, 20:44, G.I.; Bob Musil, 21:04, O'Neill; Brian Exstrom, 21:34, G.I.

60-69 -- Lynn Rathjen, 19:10, G.I.; Jack Miettinen, 23:04, G.I.; Steve Rothenberger, 23:20, Kearney.

70+  -- Dan Klimek, 27:50, Ord; Ron Tschauner, 35:51, Hastings.



Half-marathon results, women

Overall -- Melissa Todd, 1:17:55, Kansas City, Mo.

24 & under -- Kaci Lickteig, 1:24:53, Dannebrog; Erin Oswald, 1:30:26, Omaha; Bethany Hughes, 1:34:51, G.I.

25-29 -- Ashley Taylor, 1:25:37, Osborne, Kan.; Jessica Hoelting, 1:33:16, Lincoln; Kylie Cheetsos, 1:44:14, G.I.

30-34 -- Angiie Soundy, 1:23:39, Bellevue; Nora Ohrt, 1:28:47, Henderson; Lori Merritt, 1:38:30, G.I.

35-39 -- Jill Paulsen-Jareche, 1:35:52, St. Paul; Bridget Morton, 1:37:49, Omaha; Kristin Riedy, 1:51:05, G.I.

40-44 -- Stacy Shaw, 1:29:27, Hastings; Donna Chapman, 1:40:51, Republic, Mo.; Catherine Wilson, 1:46:21, Hastings.

45-49 -- Janet Jones, 1:57:10, Edgar; Ruth Brandt, 1:58:25, G.I.; Angie Mustion, 1:59:33, G.I.

50-59 -- Marlene Swanson, 2:02; Martha Stoddard, 2:04; Alicia Helmink, 2:05, all of Lincoln.



Half-marathon results, men

Overall -- Tom Nicholas, 1:11:10, Lincoln; James Megown, 1:11:10, Sidney.

24 & under -- Dylan Wilson, 1:18:06, G.I.; Stephen Karmazin, 1:24:02, Lincoln; Carlos Hernandez, 1:24:05, G.I.

25-29 -- John Nichols, 1:17:39, Denver; Alfonso Vasquez, 1:23:21, G.I.; Matt Dorsey, 1:31:38, G.I.

30-34 -- Rickie Hacker, 1:11:56, Kansas City, Mo.; Ben Sandy, 1:12:48, Bellevue; Jason Moritz, 1:17:54, Lincoln.

35-39 -- Matthew Harnicek, 1:25:26, Lincoln; Jon-Peter Bluhm, 1:26:16, Omaha; Troy Swartz, 1:28:13, McCook.

40-44 -- J.J. Yost, 1:30:08, Lincoln; Paul Danson, 1:31:17, Lincoln; Rob Morat, 1:32:04, St. Paul.

45-49 -- Michael Peak, 1:27:13, Kearney; Michael Florek, 1:33:15, Hastings; Johm Maish, 1:30:16, Kearney.

50-59 -- David Johnson, 1:19:37, Hastings; Kerry McDermott, 1:28:13, Lincoln; Randy Raymond, 1:29:50, Blair.

60-69 -- Robert Neske, 1:45:20, Hastings; Richard Friiedrichsen, 1:55:20, Clarks; Mrk Fuerniss, 2:03:05, Lincoln.

70+ -- Ivan Goering, 2:30:28, Leigh; Marv Metzer, 2:37:29, McCook.