Fall race season is officially here, and if this past week is any indication, things are about to get REALLY busy around here.
Over the past few days, the ActNow Racing crew has been on the road for three very different events — the Steve Waggoner Invitational, Harvest Hustle 5K and the Seymour Apple Festival 5K.
Three races. Three communities. Three completely different kinds of race days.
And that's honestly one of our favorite things about what we do.
Steve Waggoner Invitational
We kicked things off with the Steve Waggoner Invitational in Willow Springs.
If you've spent much time around cross country, you know these meets have a completely different energy than a Saturday morning 5K. Coaches are watching every place. Teammates are yelling from the sidelines. Parents are trying to keep track of runners disappearing around corners and coming back into view.
And the runners? They're racing for every single spot.
The meet brought together middle school and high school runners from schools all across the area, and there were some really good races throughout the day.
In the middle school girls race, Gianna Davis of Mountain Grove came away with the individual win in 11:22, followed by Alton's Kynlee Willard and Viola's Kyra James.
Willow Springs had a great team day, winning the middle school girls team race with 47 points, just ahead of Houston with 51. Houston turned around and won the middle school boys team race with 37 points.
On the high school side, there were plenty of strong performances as well.
Houston's boys dominated the Class 3 & 4 race, scoring just 22 points and putting three runners across the line in the top three. Oliver Choate led the way in 18:30, followed closely by Charlie Benoist and Marcus Posant.
And that's what we love about these meets.
It's not just about one runner.
It's about the entire team standing along the course, yelling for their teammates, coaches trying to keep everyone focused and those last few runners finishing to the cheers of their team.
Cross country season is officially rolling.
Harvest Hustle 5K
Then came Saturday morning in Ozark for the Harvest Hustle 5K and 1 Mile at The OC.
This race has a completely different feel.
The Harvest Hustle is one of those mornings where you can have a serious runner chasing a PR right alongside someone running their first 5K. Throw in the 1-mile fun run, kids, families and post-race treats, and you've got a pretty good Saturday morning. The City of Ozark described the event as a morning of fitness, family fun and fall activities.
And there was some good racing happening out front.
Bradley Johnson led the 5K in 19:44, followed by Dalton Naile in 24:03 and Nathan Ziegler in 24:12.
Shaelyn Barrett was the first female finisher at 28:30, with Kristen Miller close behind at 30:46.
But scrolling through the results is where you really get a feel for the race.
There were runners finishing in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and well over an hour. There were people racing hard and people simply enjoying a Saturday morning outside.
That's what makes a local 5K special. Not everybody shows up for the same reason. Some people want a PR. Some want to win. Some are trying to get back into running. And some just want to cross a finish line with their family. They're all equally worth celebrating.
Seymour Apple Festival 5K
And then we headed to Seymour for one of our favorite small-town race mornings — the 22nd Annual Seymour Apple Festival 5K.
There is just something different about this race.
You get up early, run a 5K and then the entire town seems to come alive around you.
The 5K kicks off the Saturday festivities at 7:30 a.m. at the Price Cutter parking lot, before the parade, vendors, food, contests and everything else that makes the Seymour Apple Festival such a big community tradition. Proceeds from the race go to the Seymour High School Athletic Department.
And the results showed a little bit of everything.
Tom Woods was the overall men's winner with a 17:42, while Megan James was the top female finisher in 25:15.
There were some impressive youth performances too.
Blaine Kindall, 13, finished in 19:48, while 12-year-old Owen Johnson crossed in 21:22. Sixteen-year-old Caleb Smith ran 21:29.
And then you get down the results and see names from every generation.
Eight-year-old Taya Phillips finished in 33:44.
Nine-year-old David Barber ran 24:57.
And Oren Alcorn, 73, finished in 28:46.
That's the part of these races that we really enjoy.
You can look at the top of the results and see the winners.
But look farther down the list and you'll see the real story - Families - Kids - Friends - First-time runners - Experienced runners - People who have been doing this for years - And people who may have just decided to give a 5K a shot.
That's What Fall Racing Is About
When you put these three races together, you get a pretty good picture of why we love being part of the local running community.
The Steve Waggoner Invitational was about teams and competition.
Harvest Hustle was about fitness, family and fun.
And Seymour was about running and community tradition.
But underneath all three was the same thing:
People showing up.
People cheering each other on.
People challenging themselves.
People spending a Saturday morning outside instead of sitting at home.
And that's why we love what we do.
We get to see a lot of finish lines.
We get to see the winners.
We get to see the PRs.
But we also get to see the runner who is absolutely exhausted but refuses to quit.
The kid who is smiling from ear to ear when they cross the finish line.
The parent running beside their child.
The teammate waiting at the finish to cheer in the last runner.
Those are the moments that don't always show up in a results sheet.
But they're the moments we remember.
So congratulations to everyone who raced the Steve Waggoner Invitational, Harvest Hustle or Seymour Apple Festival 5K.
Whether you were chasing the clock or just trying to make it to the finish line — we're glad you showed up.
Fall racing season in the Ozarks is going to be a busy one