Organizers praising community for ‘coming together’
Organizers of the Discover Whitewater Series are deeming this year’s event as a success, and are praising the community for coming together for it.
“It is such an honor to watch how this community comes together for the amazing event,” Greater Whitewater Committee Chairman Larry Kachel said. “The University, city, school district, business community and citizens working together for a great day.”
The Greater Whitewater Committee’s fifth annual Discover Whitewater Series (DWS) took place on Sept. 17. The series featured a half marathon, half marathon relay, 5K and W3’s Fit Kid Shuffle through Whitewater.
“On race day, the committee and Discover Whitewater Series Planning Committee were joined by 700 participants, more than 350 volunteers and more than 90 sponsors for another successful event,” said Haley Sheets, the membership coordinator for the Greater Whitewater Committee. “The rain held off, making the weather better than ever and the changes implemented to enhance the runners came off without a hitch.
The top three runners in the women’s half marathon were runner 542 Jane Bareikis with a time of 1:25:56.67, runner 570 Holly Nearman with a time of 1:27:57.41 and runner 544 Teresa Stanely with a time of 1:29:12.82.
The top three runners for the men’s 5K were runner 485 John Dewitt with a time of 1:07:47.58, runner 574 Danny Machmueller with a time of 1:10:32.59 and runner 543 Arturs Bareikis with a time of 1:14:31.3.
In the half relay, the first-place team was the Whippet City Striders, comprised of Brenda Schumacher and Jane Becker, with a time of 2:04:49.23. The second-place team was Not Fast But Furious, comprised of Nicole Leibman and Tiffany Pernat, with a time of 2:05:29.23. The third-place team was Wine at the Finish Line, comprised of Penny Skerhutt and Nicole Wolf, with a time of 2:06:31.18.
For the women’s 5K, runner 938 Kerin McClain came in first with a time of 23:03.7. Runner 1024 Jodi Tessen came in second with a time of 23:03.94. Runner 952 Jessica Nevel came in third with a time of 23:42.46.
In the men’s 5K, runner 874 Jason Wiedenhoeft came in first with a time of 17.41.8. Runner 887 Gio Anello came in second with a time of 18:32.12. Runner 971 Christopher Cogbill came in third with a time of 19:17.63.
For more race results visit www.runwhitewater.com and look under race details.
The Discover Whitewater Series was joined, for the first time, by My Team Triumph. A team of four – three runners and one wheelchair member – ran the half marathon together. The My Team Triumph team included Captain Emily Fideler, Race Manager Kristen Wold and Angels Jeremy and Melissa Houtakker.
The main goals of the Discover Whitewater Series are to build a stronger community and showcase the City of Whitewater. All proceeds from the event are put directly back into the community each year. The five local non-profit partners are Bethel House, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater athletics, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, Whitewater Unified School District and the J-Hawk Aquatics Club.
“The hill by Hillside Cemetery was noted by many participants as the most difficult part of the course, but there was a large turnout of people cheering on runners,” Sheets said. “The cheering continued at the finish line as runners crossed with victory smiles.”
“The Greater Whitewater Committee and Discover Whitewater Series would like to thank everyone involved in making the fifth year a success,” Sheets said. “The Whitewater community is a great place to visit, live and work.”
The next Discover Whitewater Series will be dedicated to UW-Whitewater’s 150th anniversary. All shirts will be purple and contain the sesquicentennial logo, Sheets said. The event is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2018.
For more information about the Discover Whitewater Series contact Jeffery Knight at jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or (920) 728-0662.
For more coverage on the event, see the Sept. 21 issue of the Whitewater Register.
