Runner Spotlight - Seth Snider-Hayes

2nd Overall in the 2022/23 Polar Bear Grand Prix

How and why did you start running and how many years have you been running?

Growing up I was strictly a soccer player until 7th grade when one of my soccer coaches (also a runner) suggested I try cross country. I tried it and I fell in love. My freshman year of high school I wanted to focus on soccer, but after talking with both the soccer coach and the cross country coach, we decided that I would do both. So starting sophomore year, in the spring I would do club soccer and cross country, and in the fall I would do high school soccer and track. After running through high school, I ran my freshman year of college for Asbury University. After transferring my sophomore year, I switched to only running for fun and slowly started getting away from “regular running” and would just show up for races. Toward the end of 2019, I decided to get back in to running more and joined with Fleet Feet Louisville and have never looked back. I am now a mentor for the training program and a member of the Fleet Feet Racing Team. Long story short, I have been running for 17 years and plan on running for many more years to come.

Why did you decide to do the Polar Bear Grand Prix?

When I first started running with Fleet Feet, some of the runners I was with were talking about the Polar Bear Grand Prix. I had never heard of it and ultimately ended up registering myself. The serious was so fun that I decided to do it again, this time getting other Fleet Feet runners together to form what is now The Devil Wears Strava. We all love racing, we all love hanging out with each other, we love fun; and this race series allows us to combine all the things we love. Running and having fun together.

Favorite distance?

My favorite race distance is the half marathon. However, my favorite Polar Bear Grand Prix (and River City Races) distance is the 5k. Having so many different 5ks to choose from throughout the year, you really get the chance to push yourself. To start the year with a 5k, and push yourself to get faster and faster with the next 5k.

Favorite place to run?

My favorite place to run in Louisville is Cherokee Park. It is such a great starting point for any distance that I want to run. I can hit the Bear Grass Creek Trail and head on down to the waterfront. I can head to Bardstown Road and go through the Highlands. I can take the Scenic Loop and head on up to Seneca Park and enjoy St. Matthew’s and the Crescent Hill neighborhood. I also LOVE hills. So, by parking at the top of the hill, I have no choice but the run up a hill to get back to my car. Just a little game I like to play so I can push myself.

Favorite or most unique race you have run?

My favorite race that I have run is the Chicago Half Marathon. Chicago is my favorite city on this planet, so any excuse I get to go there I take. This race goes out and back on Lakeshore Drive, so you have Lake Michigan beside you pretty much the whole way and the city skyline in front of you the whole first half. The race puts on an amazing race expo each year, always in a different part of the city to showcase what the city has to offer. Race weekend also has a special place in my heart because it is the weekend that I got engaged back in 2017. I have been back to run the race every year since.

Favorite thing about running?

My favorite things about running the mental benefits it offers me. While I am a competitive person and I like running fast and beating people just as much as the next person; running offers me an outlet and a place to set goals for myself. I could be having the worst day ever, go out and run and just leave it all out on the road and feel a million times better. I could be all in my feelings and go out on a run and process what I am feeling. Running is a safe place for me. I place for me deal with things, to feel things, to process things, to release things without fear of judgement or being seen. When I am out on a solo run, it is just me, myself, and I out there. It is MY feet making me move. It is MY lungs keeping me breathing. Running reminds me that I am human, and I am not perfect. I’m not always going to want to do things, I’m not always going to be the fastest, and I’m certainly not always going to look good doing it and that is all OK!

Do you have any running/walking advice you'd like to offer?

No matter if you are running or walking, you are doing it! You are getting out there and you are achieving something, and that is AMAZING. Just for a moment forget the chaos, forget what is going on at home, at work, at school. For a moment, be present and be thankful that you get to show up. Be proud of yourself for showing up. Be proud of yourself for accomplishing something!

Why do you like running River City Races events?

I love that River City Races shows off the community and highlights how great the city of Louisville is. You get to experience not only the great charities and organizations that they work with, but you get to experience what it’s like to be a part of a community. You are welcomed into the Louisville running community and you are celebrated no matter what distance or pace you are running. All the events are just so much fun to be a part of and really are a highlight of the weekend.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I would encourage everyone to do as many of the River City Races as they can throughout the year. They benefit some great organizations, they showcase Louisville, they keep you accountable, and on top of it all, they are just fun. It is also just nice knowing that, as long as River City Races is around, there are still going to be regular races throughout the year, so it is nice to just be able to support them so they can keep putting on these events. One last thing, the Polar Bear Grand Prix is SOOOOOOO much fun and I would recommend these races to everyone!

Runner Spotlight - Bryan Huhnerkoch

To kick off the 2023/2024 Polar Bear Grand Prix, for the next few months, we’ll be spotlighting many of the top finishers from the 2022/2023 Polar Bear Grand Prix. Today we're featuring the Male Grandmaster Champion Bryan Huhnerkoch! See below for his profile.

I have been running since 1970. I was always one of the top runners at our school when we did the running portion of the Presidential fitness tests. I ran in college at the NCAA Division II level at the University of Northern Iowa. Both cross country and track.

I have done the PBGP a few times. I did it this year because I broke my foot running last May and hadn't raced since the Derby mini-marathon last April. I was needing some competitive running.

My favorite distance is the 1/2 marathon and the 70.3 triathlon.

My favorite place to run is on the greenway on the Indiana side along the Ohio River.

My most unique competition was doing 3 triathlons in 2 days up in Ohio. A sprint triathlon on Friday night and 2 Olympic distance events on Saturday.

I grew up in the era where you ran hard almost everyday and competed every week. Old habits die hard but I had to learn to enjoy nice easy runs multiple times per week. Listen to your body and be willing to take days off.

I enjoy the River City Races since they are close to home, are wonderful courses and you can plan well in advance knowing they will be held each year.

Best advice I can give is to be thankful that you can run and don't take it for granted.

Runner Spotlight - Fred Geswein

The first miniMarathon

The original Louisville running pioneers. From left to right, Gil Clark, Fred Geswein and Ken Combs

The First Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon ….  Fred Geswein

             In the early 1970”s road racing for the general public referred to fast muscle cars, not people chasing through Iroquois Park on a beautiful Monday morning on April 24, 1974 in the first Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon, the Derby Mini.

             At the time road racing consisted of a handful of former college runners and an elite (Olympic class) group.  The later convened for well-known events in places like Boston and California.  The remainder, what few we were, gathered for loosely organized events of varying distances.  There were no, or minimal, entry fees.  The awards were equally few.  T-shirts “may” be awarded to the first three finishers or so.  There was NOTHING just for finishing and less for entering.  Courses and mile markers were nearly accurate.  Competition in a “big” race (25-30) was fierce.  Our numbers were few, but the comraderie was awesome.

             Frank Shorter’s gold medal in the ’72 Olympic Marathon ignited an inexpensive fad with health benefits.  Everybody could run. A full marathon was ( still is) too much for the average runner, but half of that distance, a “mini-“ version, was doable. Soon organized road races were becoming popular.  Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloan was a runner, and soon the odd couple of Gil Clark and Ken Combs, were empowered to develop what would become the Derby Mini.  What a pair they were.  The rotund Clark, a baseball man, whose physique avoided fitness, was the head of the Parks Department.  The slender Combs, an accomplished college runner at Bellarmine, and was one of the best local high school coaches ever.  The soft-spoken Combs would eventually open the specialty running shoe store that bears his name.  Ironically, it would be the equally personable Clark and his pith helmet that would become the face of distance running in Louisville.

             Phil Fowler, one of a handful of locals still running after his career at Iroquois HS, had mentioned to me the possibility of an “organized” race of some sort as part of the Derby festivities.  But, with or without social media, rumors abounded.

             It was more than a bit surprising for race organizers and the handful of us “hard core” runners when over 300 people, most of whom had never run any race, showed up for the first Derby Mini.  While the more experienced runners had nylon attire and a pair of running shoes. (No swooshes in 1974.)  Most participants were clad in all cotton and tennis shoes.  Port-a-Potties were not invented yet. The tradition of enjoying the greenery in Iroquois Park became a pre-race tradition.

             Twice around Iroquois Park separated the field before we headed out to the frontage road that runs parallel with Southern Parkway.  It was difficult to get an accurate split times using the sweep hand on your wind-up wristwatch. (No digital watches.  No GPS.)  But since the mile markers, if there were any, were less than accurate, it didn’t make any difference.  Aid stations? Don’t remember any.

             Once we made it to 3rd Street (9 miles) the course shifted to the sidewalks.  Yep.  Sidewalks.

             As the fatigue level increased so did the distractions.

             It was a little eerie going through the underpass at UL on the sidewalk as not only did we deal with sudden darkness, but there was the matter of trash, and the real possibility of running through someone’s living quarters.  Dodging the citizenry was not only new to us, but to non-participants, who were justifiably surprised by these people literally racing past.  What’s the hurry?

             Intersections provided quite the challenge as there were no security guards that are mandatory today.  We were at the mercy of stoplights and motorists, most of whom had stopped in awe of whatever was going on.  Somehow we safely crossed the wider streets only to be greeted by the steps (after 13 miles?) going up to the finish line (where was it?) and the refreshing fountains on the Belvedere.

             A hundred or so sweaty runners, including the mayor, splashed under the noon sun. Post-race refreshments were non-existent, or if they were, avoided me. 

             As a top ten finisher (7th) I received a very nice silver-plated mint julep cup,  which still rests in my trophy case.  I cannot remember an award ceremony as such.  I did not know my time (1.15.06) nor see printed results of the race until I was writing this article 50 years later. And for each of us there was the issue that many were to face in the future: how to get back to our car at Iroquois Park.

             I ran the first three Minis.  Over the years I think I probably ran another three, but usually as a rabbit with a friend.  Although I pretty much lost track of the event, to me, the day of the Mini was “Runners’ Day in Louisville.”  After the race runners, many wearing the now-required tee shirt were everywhere!  Post-race parties were abundant. For 2-3 years the Geswein house was a gathering site on the afternoon of the great race.

  Although I fully comprehend and regretfully must agree with some of the changes made to the Mini in the last ten years or so, once the event moved downtown, it became just another event for me.  The full marathon was always a mere distraction. 

             The First Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon was one of the highlights of my running career because it marked the re-birth of distance running in the Louisville area.  Many races would be born, survive, and ultimately pass into history. But at age 50 the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon lives on.

 I have been fortunate to have been part of all it.  For that I am grateful.

Runner Spotlight - Seth Snider-Hayes

Meet the fastest Run the 502 finisher!

Why did you decide to the Run the 502?

I love ALL of the races that River City Races puts on and at the end of the day, I just LOVE racing, so why not get a special medal for it?

Favorite race of the series?

The Downtown Doubler is my favorite in the series. It is such a fun time getting to be around so many people running all the different distance, cheering each other on the whole way. I think it really shows how great the Louisville running community is.

Favorite distance?

My favorite distance over all is a half marathon, but my favorite distance of the series is the 5k. There are so many different 5k options throughout the series, you get the chance to push yourself and see how much you can improve from the first 5k to the last.

Why do you like running River City Races events?

I love that River City Races shows off the community and highlights how great the city of Louisville is. You get to experience not only the great charities and organizations that they work with, but you get to experience what it’s like to be a part of a community. You are welcomed into the Louisville running community and you are celebrated no matter what distance or pace you are running. All of the events are just so much fun to be a part of and really are a highlight of the weekend.

Do you have any running/walking advice you’d like to offer?

HAVE FUN! Whether your running or walking, just remember to have fun. Find yourself a group of friends to do the races with and just get out there and have a blast.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I would encourage everyone to do as many of the River City Races as they can throughout the year. They benefit some great organizations, they showcase Louisville, they keep you accountable, and on top of it all, they are just fun. It is also just nice knowing that, as long as River City Races is around, there are still going to be regular races throughout the year, so it is nice to just be able to support them so they can keep putting on these events. One last things, the Polar Bear Grand Prix is SOOOOOOO much fun and I would recommend these race series to everyone!