This week’s TVO Roundup includes a few events and notes about area happenings, so let’s jump right into the action as Mother Nature hurls some chilly curveballs our way.
Charging Home 5K
Adian Barton won the Charging Home 5K on Feb. 15 at the University of Alabama-Huntsville campus.
Barton finished in 19:19, with Samuel Newport not far behind in 20:16. David Sanchez was third in 20:21.
Erica Sandlin was sixth overall and won the women’s title, finishing in 24:17. Megan Trinh was second (15th) in 27:31, and Amanda Matzek was third (19th) in 27:58.
See all of the results here.
Cabin Fever 50K
FAYETTEVILLE, W. Va. — Dominick Borreggine kicked off his quest for the New River Gorge Trifecta on Feb. 15 at the Cabin Fever 50K in the New River Gorge National Park.
The 50K was the first of the Rim to River Endurance Company series. The other events are the Rim to River 100-miler and Falling Water 100K. Borreggine won the Rim to River 100 last October.
At the Cabin Fever, Borreggine finished fourth in 4:26:51.
See all of the results here.
Cornett Joins R2S
Dr. Josh Cornett has joined Return 2 Sport PT & Performance in Huntsville.
Cornett attended Freed Hardeman University for undergrad and ran cross country. He then attended Harding University for physical therapy school, graduating in 2018.
Cornett has been a PT for seven years. He formerly was with Results Physiotherapy in Huntsville. Cornett is a certified orthopedic manual therapist, certified dry needling therapist, and certified vestibular rehab therapist.
Along with running cross country in college he has completed more than 20 marathons and ultramarathons including Boston and Pinhoti 100-miler. His hobbies outside of running include playing soccer on a HASL team “the Contractors.” He loves climbing mountains and camping, and most recently climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming and Granite Peak in Montana.
Return 2 Sport is located in the Valley Bend Shopping Center in a shared space with Swift Recovery.
Free Injury Screening
Return 2 Sport is offering an injury screening on Feb. 21 from 12-6 p.m. at its facility in Jones Valley
The screening is for anyone dealing with an issue that nags, won’t go away or you’re thinking “ehhh, it’ll get better.” Or, if you definitely have an injury that needs attending, this also is a good time to find out about it. The screening is to learn specifically what’s going on and what could be done to help.
No sign-up is needed. Just walk in and get a quick assessment and recommendations by one of the Return 2 Sport certified physical therapists.
Lost Falls Change
The annual Lost Falls half-marathon and 10K trail runs at DeSoto State Park, a wonderfully cool and scenic event, has been moved this year to April 26.
The change, along with dropping the 50K from prior years, is due to some logistics with the state park. Running Lane Events puts on the Lost Falls scamper, which regularly attracts runners from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and beyond. The trails are challenging, you’ll get some solid climbing and the scenery is solid. Afterward, too, at the finish line will be hamburgers, hot dogs, bevs and a chill vibe. Runners get a woot-woot cheer from everyone there chilling out.
Pro tip for this event: get a room or cabin at DeSoto State Park and go over the night before. That way you’re there already, rested and relaxed, and you don’t have to get up at crack o’dawn to drive over. The park is quiet and if the skies are clear, you’ll see some cool stars. This is a favorite race for us at TVO and if you haven’t done it, we highly recommend it.
Run the Cove
The Run the Cove Half-marathon is set for March 8 in Hampton Cove, along with a cool 10K, with a flat and fast course that could be perfect for a PR in either race.
Both starts at the Hays Nature Preserve Greenway and runs through it until the 10K folks return to finish. The half-marathoners continue to Cherrytree, up by the Hampton Cove sports fields, under the road and into the Hampton Cove neighborhoods around the lakes and greenways. Runners circle back through the ‘hood, encountering a few hills, and finish at the starting line.
The course is solid and used by a lot of youth athletes for training, along with Cove residents. It’ll be a cool event.
The Run the Cove Half is sponsored by Food City of Owens Cross Roads, Karhu and Swift Recovery, and facilitated by Fleet Feet Huntsville.
Dueling Banjos 5K & 10K
Looking for a trail test? Want some vert? Want to bust a lung in a 5K? The Dueling Banjos 5K & 10K may be the combo you’re looking for this year.
The April 12 races will be held in the mountain trails above McMullen Cove. The first climb — the 5K — is straight up toward Watson Preserve, more than 1,000 feet of a calf-thigh-lung strainer that might cause you to say a dirty word or three. But once you get to the top, you get to rest and chill out a bit and then the 10K is all downhill. Yep, it’s a net-negative downhiller that will challenge your run-down-without-falling on those strained, shaky legs to the finish line.
Sounds awesome. Here’s the catch: You cannot just do one. You must register for both races to get a bib.
Pull up the big panties and get registered here for this one.
Paper Chase 5K
The annual Paper Chase 5K is Saturday morning in downtown Huntsville starting at Franklin and Gates streets at 8 a.m.
This is one of the most popular short races of the year. It supports Free 2 Teach, which helps teachers and children at 88 area public schools fulfill classroom needs with supplies and other necessities. Among the sponsors are the EZBO Foundation and Fleet Feet.
The school with the most runners — including family, friends, staff and students — will win the School Challenge. That comes with $1,500 from FirstBank for the school library or technology needs.
Last autumn, Free 2 Teach received a $150,000 donation from Meta. In 14 years, Free 2 Teach has provided almost 14 million in resources to Madison County public school teachers. These include copy paper, pencils, STEM lesson kits, specialty art supplies, books, classroom furniture and more. In the last six years, Meta has given more than $4 million in direct funding to area schools and nonprofits. It also has continually expanded its Huntsville Data Center.
