The 37th annual Pretzel Twist 5-Mile Run, 3.5-Mile Walk and Kids Fun Run on September 20, 2014, will be remembered less for its finishing times than for the families who ran it together.
The event, which benefits programs at the Lititz recCenter, started and finished at the recCenter and wound through the streets of Lititz. Organizers noticed something different this year.
“I saw a lot of groups of families together,” said Deb Smith, marketing director of the recCenter. “The recCenter is a very family-oriented place.”
Three generations at the start line
Among the youngest participants was a seven-week-old who slept in a stroller while three generations of her family stretched nearby.
“We’re new to Lititz,” said Erin Edwards. Her husband, J, and her parents, Michele and Randy Taylor, were all lined up to run. For Randy Taylor, it would be his first five-mile race.
At the finish, the family crossed within seconds of each other.
“I was so proud of my dad for doing his first race,” Erin Edwards said. “It was awesome to see him cross the finish line.” Her husband ran a personal best of 39:46, putting him in the top 100. The family celebrated afterward with omelets from the post-race breakfast bar.
The Martin family’s medal haul
The Martin family came six strong. Katie Martin, 22, pushed her six-month-old daughter in a stroller, while her mother, Carol, and three younger siblings compared training notes.
Four of the Martins finished in the top three of their age groups. Katie won the women’s 20–25 division in 43:30, stroller and all. Kinsey Martin won the 15–19 women’s group in 37:26, and Colton Martin won the 15–19 men’s division in 34:28. A younger sister placed third among girls 14 and under.
“We all really enjoyed the race,” Carol Martin said, noting it was the first five-miler for three of them. For her, placing wasn’t the point.
“I was just happy that I finished and that I did it without walking,” she said. “The middle of the race was really hard, but it was so thrilling to get close to the finish line and hear your family yelling ‘Go, Mom!’ It was so worth it.”
“I thought it was great fun running a race with other family members,” Kinsey said.
A custom chair and a first race
Siblings Jenessa, Lance and Bryant Hosler ran together in matching fluorescent yellow shirts. Lance, who has cerebral palsy that affects his gross motor skills, rode in an old manual wheelchair his brother had taken to a bike shop for a custom front wheel and steering mechanism.
“It works great!” Lance wrote after the race. The siblings, who had completed a 10-mile run in Philadelphia that May, said they were already looking for their next event.
Andrew Kerstetter walked the course with his six-year-old daughter, a first grader at Bonfield Elementary, for her first race. “It’s all she’s been talking about all week,” he said. She finished with a grin and later earned a medal in the Kids Fun Run. Her father hopes to run a 10K with her someday.
The leaders
Veteran runner Daryl Weaver won the five-mile race in 25:23. Tim Getz was second in 26:02, and Steve Gergely finished third five seconds later. Brooke Magni was the first woman across the line in 30:54, greeted with hugs and high-fives. Lebanon runner Isaac Kramer finished seventh and carried his 21-month-old daughter on his shoulders afterward.
“It was a good race day for me,” Kramer said. “I ran harder than almost any race.”
In the walk, Neil Beatty and David Dagen finished first and second, two seconds apart. Clair Clawser, 69, was third among men in 40:59.
Clawser, a material handler for Lancaster Newspapers, says he has completed more than 1,000 races, including at least a dozen at the recCenter. “I’m a little bit slower,” he said, “but I’m 69 and I’m a two-year cancer survivor.”
Heide Moebius, 75, won the women’s 70-and-over division in 42:32 as a tune-up for a half marathon. “And the omelets weren’t too bad either,” she said.
Why they run
Smith said runners come back for many reasons. “For a lot of people it’s the history of the race,” she said. “A lot even go for the course.”
This article was originally published in September 2014.