On a dark Sunday morning, cool wind in their hair, Jackson Howse led a hearty field to the wire to win the Ditto Landing 10K.
Howse, 20, of Huntsville, won by almost a minute in the Huntsville Track Club scholarship fundraiser. He finished in 34:54, a fine pace of 5:37 on the wet Aldridge Creek Greenway following a night of drizzly rain. The event is the final 10K in the area before the Rocket City Marathon weekend 10K on Dec. 13
Howse was second in 2024, battling Hunter Nails and Myles Scarano on the course, and third in 2021, when he was 16. Last year’s race was one of the fastest in event history as Nails set the course record. The greenway and short toodle back at Ditto Landing by the Tennessee River has little elevation, great for speedy races and PRs.
Christian Schrandt, 37, of Madison, was second in 35:45.
Sarah Crouch, 36, of Madison, was a close third in 35:48, with Megan Allan, 41, of Huntsville, on her heels in 35:50. Kevin Betts, 48, of Lacey’s Spring, rounded out the top five speedgoats in 35:51.
Julie Vieselmeyer, 44 of Madison, won the Women’s Masters title in 43:24. Jermaine Wade, 42, of Hazel Green, was the Male Masters winner in 42:30.
About the Ditto Landing 10K
The Ditto Landing 10K came into existence in the early 1980s. Harold Tinsley, a Huntsville Track Club founding member, compiled a fantastic “History of Huntsville Track Club Races” updated through 2017.
Here is Tinsley’s report about the race and its background through 2017.
This race didn’t begin as a fund raiser for the HTC Scholarship Fun and it actually began years before it became an HTC event. Joyce Smith began the race and directed it as a fund raiser for the Huntsville Library where she worked. It was called the Here’s One For The Books 5 Mile Run.
It was a popular race with a large turnout on a course downtown, with the start/finish at the library. One big attraction was the post-race drawings; so many items were available that a large number of the participants went home with a nice gift. In 1985 the library was tiring of the race. Smith came to the club for support in helping conduct the event. It continued in 1985 and 1986 in the same format. In 1987 the library no longer wanted to be affiliated with the race and no longer wanted the HTC to use their facility for the start/finish.
More Changes
The HTC Board decided to continue the race as a fund raiser for the HTC Scholarship Fund with the name Scholarship 8K Fund Run. The course remained much the same. The start/finish moved to Huntsville Middle School. However, the Board could not find a race director and canceled the race in 1987-88.
John and Linda DeHaye came to the rescue in 1989 to direct the race. Club officers had to step in and conduct the race in 1992 to keep it going. The race continued until 2015 in the same format but participation diminished. Martin Schneekloth came to the Board and proposed changing it to a 10K race later in the year and at a different location, which was Ditto Landing. It would still be a fund raiser for the Scholarship Fund but was renamed the Hobbs Island 10K Race. To maintain an 8K race distance it was decided to change the UAH Spring 10K to an 8K.
See all of the Ditto Landing 10K results here.
