Mike Wolanin | The Republic People check out the various booths during the Mill Race Marathon expo at The Commons in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
The Commons became more than an area for packet pickups Friday for Mill Race Marathon events. For people such as Derek Eldridge, it was a place for him to proclaim his exuberance for a newfound passion of running.
And his hopes for a solid time in the half-marathon.
“I had never been a runner until a few months ago,” Eldridge said.
In fact, he has been an intense and serious golfer. But the teen runners he began coaching at Austin High School inspired him to try running — and now he’s set to go Saturday after about 24 weeks of training.
It serve as more than a novel experiment for him. He’ll also use it for preparation for the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis next month, aiming for a time better than 1 hour, 30 minutes.
“This will be like a special workout day for me,” Eldridge said.
Others were preparing for a more relaxed Saturday.
Alice Gold picked up packets for her and husband Rich Gold to walk the 5K event that they do every year if they are in town. She mentioned that their involvement is about far more than fitness. She sees it as literal steps toward community unity.
“We just like getting out and feeling very much like a part of the community,” Gold said. “It makes me think, ‘This is one of the reasons why I still live in Columbus.’”
She said they got that same heartwarming, community feel recently at the Exhibit Columbus street party Aug. 26.
Micayla Pier did the 5K with family members a few years ago, and will be supporting her husband in the 5K on Saturday. But on Friday, she was picking up a packet for her two near-2-year-olds and one 3-year-old child to do the Kids Fun Run.
“I’m just excited to get them involved,” Pier said. “I want to start them young. And they might make some new friends.”
Also on hand Friday were a host of vendors selling everything from running shoes to energy bars to rehab-oriented equipment.
Dr. Daria Schooler, a retired local physician, had runners stopping at her booth for information on cutting-edge technology known as Bio-Electro-Magnetic-Energy-Regulation, also known as BEMER. The devices are used to promote better blood circulation for a feeling of restoration and rejuvenation.
