A Christmas Letter
I have never written one of those “year in review” letters we sometimes receive in our Christmas card from family and friends. Bear with me. I think it takes a special talent to sum up a year in the length of a page or two. With no experience, I might not be very good at it. It is good to do things we might not be very good at, so here goes.
We started 2024 by setting goals. Two hundred of you did that. Honoring Leap Year, we encouraged both adults and kids to get at least the minimum recommended minutes of exercise each week during the cold winter months of January and February. The dark months are hard on many and moving our bodies is the best way to avoid winter weight and the winter blues. We explored all types of physical activity by tracking how many minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise we achieved. The virtual challenge may be virtual, but it also creates space for me to develop real relationships with our athletes as we communicate week after week. I get to share the burden of difficulties, roadblocks and challenges. I also get to share in triumph, achievement and the discovery of new loves.
The remaining months of 2024 brought us eighteen opportunities to gather as a community to run, walk or ruck, with a little bit of swimming and biking thrown in for good measure. Each time we gathered, we were hosted by people creating space for us to do what we love and for them to do good for others in the community. Love shared all around. In nearly every one of the eighteen gatherings, you came out in numbers larger than in 2023. Researchers have discovered that doing something in the service of others actually improves our physical health and helps our mental health too!
In March, we braved what remained of winter. You supported Live On Nebraska as it supports organ donation in our great state while celebrating the life of one of our own, Tamara Hlavaty. The Hlavaty children are retiring their mom’s race, but you helped them honor her legacy. You gathered with our high school students on behalf of Make-A-Wish of Nebraska, where funds raised make the wishes of critically ill children come true. In March, you supported races that give life.
In April, you stood with Lincoln County CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates program as they advocate for the best interests of children in foster care or those who have been abused or neglected. You supported a race that supports children who need you. Also in April, you helped us celebrate the 23rd year of our signature event, the Tri-Nebraska Triathlon which supported the North Platte Trails Network. Athletes from three to nearly eighty-three supported the work that makes our community move livable.
We arrived at May, and in May, athletes from every county in Nebraska and from every state in the Union came together for our largest race of the year with two more to go. Five hundred athletes from across the state and nation ran with one purpose, to support those who struggle with mental health and those at risk for suicide. Five hundred athletes in the Tyler Vanderheiden Memorial Run spoke with their feet to send the message, “We are here for you.” You supported spaces in nature that bring wholeness and healing by supporting Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation.
June and July were, well, busy. You take the weather when it is most reliable in Nebraska. Our first two June races exemplified what can be accomplished when families work together. Our Twilight race welcomed our new race, the Heroes March, by joining them in support of veterans struggling with PTSD. You supported veterans by supporting the American Legion, reminding our veterans that they are our community too, and they do not struggle alone. We also learned that rucking is fantastically fun and hard, but we embrace hard things! You supported the largest and most valued local celebration in our city and you supported its history by running North Platte’s oldest road run, the NebraskaLand Days Road Run. June also saw the return of the Sillassen Half-Marathon and 5K after a four-year hiatus. It was good to welcome them back into our family of races. The beautiful Sandhills are a glorious place to live but a fair distance from a hospital in an emergency. You supported local first responders who volunteer their time and talents to take care of their communities.
We celebrated the 4th of July together in Sutherland at the Firecracker Road Run. Your participation supported an organization who knows how critical it is for young people to have at least one trusted adult, a mentor, in their lives. It has been proven to make a real difference to children and children are our future. You supported Teammates, the mentoring program of Husker Nation. We welcomed a second alumni race back into our family in July with the Lincoln County Fair 5K. The fair fosters a sense of community, provides family-friendly entertainment, promotes agriculture and agricultural education for our kids and brings people to our community. You supported all of its traditions when you supported the Lincoln County Fair. Finally in July, you dowsed yourself in color to run an event that reminds us how precious good health is. By showing up for the Nebraska Kidney Association, you supported kidney patients and their families right here in Nebraska with lodging, travel and food during the treatment process.
In August, still ripe with summer heat, but with the feeling of change in the air, we gathered for Whitaker’s Way 5K and 10K, once again benefitting the North Platte Trails Network. You supported safe places for the community to run, walk, bike, skate and stroll in while enjoying time outside.
September’s first gathering also supported the work of mentors who help kids navigate a complex world as well as supporting the work of Community Connections Substance Abuse Program. The Doggy Dash also gives our four-legged running buddies a chance to join our community. The Autumn River Run moved to September, and we celebrated its retirement after eighteen years. Your participation helped provide for the future of “Story Walk”, a collaborative that encourages physical activity for the entire family and reading for kids. It also helped fund a scholarship program through the North Platte Rec Center so kids whose families might need a little help can learn to swim. You supported families by supporting ways for them to move, read and learn together.
It would be hard to overstate the importance of the North Platte Trails Network to the Platte River Fitness Series. October’s gathering is the third race that supports the network. In our own version of a relay race, the Lake-to-Lake Relay truly connects people and brings them together. You continued to support our trail development.
On Thanksgiving, the Turkey Trot welcomes our family of runners and the family of others as people travel to North Platte for the holiday. We expect a great turnout despite the cold. The Turkey Trot recognizes our young runners and by supporting the Turkey Trot, you are supporting a scholarship that will support the education of one of our own.
Just ten days after, we celebrate the holidays and people’s longstanding love of the Jingle Bell sweatshirts. The Jingle Bell will also be celebrating its 23rd year this year as the second of our signature events. I am hoping for plenty of costumes! By supporting the Jingle Bell, you will be supporting the PRFS itself.
While 2024 was a year of achievement and joy, it was also a year of loss. We said good-bye to two members of our community, Richard Deckert and Virgil Uhrmacher. We are all better for having known them and we will miss them.
We will open 2025 with our virtual challenge, now named in Richard’s memory. We will be announcing the schedule very soon. As we move into our 24th year, let me say, I am glad to be a part of the PRFS family.