Vince Auten remembers the sweet sound of the starter’s gun going off to start the first Geist Half Marathon back in 2008. It sent chills down his spine and relief to his shoulders as he watched the 4,500 runners take off. It all started one day when his wife told him about a posting in the Geist Community Newsletter regarding a meeting to start a race in the Geist area.
Vince is a dedicated runner and has raced in many different marathon competitions across the country. In the back of his mind, he always carried the thought that he would love to be involved in starting a half marathon race. The next thing he knew, he was at this “gathering of thoughts” meeting at Burd Ford. Walking out of that meeting left Vince a bit dazed at all the things needed to put together such an effort.
The first planning meetings for this wonderful family day of racing did, in fact, bring a lot of issues to the table for the group to work through: getting sponsors, developing a budget to fund all the expenses, gathering enough volunteers to help with so many assignments during the race, and a host of other issues that all needed to be covered.
“The way the community stepped up to fill the many roles of sponsorship was incredible,” said Auten. “It was, indeed, a unique group of people who live in the area and individuals who put on other races similar to this half marathon, all gathered together with a commitment to make it the best half marathon ever.”
The tone of the meetings also included the goal to benefit the schools and organize as a nonprofit. To date, in five years, the Geist Half Marathon has kept that goal front and center, raising over $225,000 for the Geist-area schools.
“When I walked out of our first meeting, I had no idea I’d be involved in creating the Geist Half Marathon. Six years later, we are going strong and the race has become part of the community fabric.
The first registration numbers after the initial announcement on May 1, 2007, were slow coming in. But then the spike hit; and when registrations hit 4,500 racers, the field was closed and signs of relief pumped up this team of committed volunteers. “We surprised people with our outstanding numbers for a first-time event,” Auten said. “Our race is fun, and it was apparent that there were so many runners out there who would show up to take up the challenge to run our select 5K course,” he added.
That first race also held responsibilities on additional issues such as would the buses be able to transport all the people at the pickup sites to the race on time and how to deal with any long lines that might occur due to busing so many people at once. From the outside, you don’t always see all the little things that go into the planning and set the stage for an event that is fun, challenging, and involves a wonderful charitable cause that really does benefit the community schools.
“The Geist Half Marathon provides all this and then some. It’s a great family day and a challenging event for runners who love to compete. It’s unique — the running by water and the beautiful views you have on the course. The hills are a challenge, make no mistake about this, but it’s what calls out to a runner to commit every year,” Auten said, adding, “It’s not our goal to be bigger than the other races. It’s our goal to host the best community race.”
Many thanks for Vince Auten and all the other board members and volunteers who have made the Geist Half Marathon such a successful race. This year, it looks as if the numbers are going to set a record again.
“Who would have thought? Who would have thought?” Auten said with a big smile on his face.
P.S. Thanks, Ellen Auten, for reading the first post for volunteers to start this race! Vince’s driving force and experience as a runner indeed keep the Geist Half Marathon exactly where it needs to be: a community day for runners and walkers!
