HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]
Eager runners braved 5K and 10K distances in Murphy Park during a race this weekend, despite the frigid weather.
The 2024 Taylor Run for the Roses, hosted by the Taylor Garden Club, took place in freezing temperatures Saturday, Jan. 20.
Although the weather was chilly, 62 runners participated in the event. The 5K race drew 38 runners, while 24 people braved the extra 10K distance.
“The course was excellent,” runner Ghulam Khan said. “It was complicated, but the way it was organized was very nice. The volunteers were amazing and were very supportive.”
Khan, a 55-year-old local psychiatrist, decided to run the race shirtless as a way of challenging himself.
He ran the 10K in 53 minutes and 35 seconds, which was the eighth fastest time overall and the second fastest for his age group.
“It brings the best out of my mind,” he said.
The psychiatrist said there is a clear link between running and psychology. Khan said people get a boost of dopamine when they run, which others chase in more harmful ways.
“Running has a more psychological aspect than physical,” Khan said. “A lot of people with anxiety and physical symptoms, when they go running they feel like they’re fine. It takes away all of the physical worries.”
Michael Thomson had the fastest male 5K time, finishing in 23 minutes and 35 seconds. Meanwhile, Amanda Smith finished in 26 minutes and 53 seconds to be the fastest female.
Pierce Gharis was the quickest 10K male after completing the longer course in 40 minutes and 48 seconds. Stephanie Escobar had the best 10K female time, with a chip time of 49 minutes and 45 seconds.
Run for the Roses serves as the Garden Club’s sole fundraising event, President Penny Rychetsky said.
The money raised from the event will go to local high school students’ scholarships and other community beautification projects.
The Taylor Garden Club started in 1950, and members meet during the second Tuesday of every month at club member’s homes, excluding summer months.
Some of the club’s beautification projects include the Memorial Garden in Bull Branch Park, the Murphy Park entrance raised beds and Lou Bell Harris Pavilion in Murphy Park.
Photo by Hunter Dworaczyk
