Over 1,500 participants braved the cold weather as the Race for Warmth event kicked off with windchill temperatures of 17.5 degrees at the Clark Public Utilities main office in Vancouver on Sunday, Jan. 29.
The ninth annual event raised money for Operation Warm Heart, a donor-funded program that helps families in need who may not qualify for other assistance programs across Clark County.
“We’re so excited to see such a strong turnout for our first year back in-person following the pandemic. This year, about 1,525 participants signed up, which is the highest turnout in the race’s history,” Dameon Pesanti, with Clark Public Utilities, said. “Based on registration alone, we raised over $50,000. We expect that to be significantly higher once we factor in the donations Burgerville raised for us.”
Following two virtual events throughout the pandemic, this year’s 5K and 10K races were a big hit for all ages, genders and abilities. At 8:30 a.m., a kids race started the day off. The younger participants were cheered on by Clark The Safety Squirrel, the public utility’s mascot. Some kids walked while others sprinted the small, onsite loop.
At 9 a.m., the estimated 320 runners for the 10K race started at the sound of the horn, and 10 minutes later, an estimated 1,210 people, some with their dogs, began the 5K race. The route featured a new adventure through Vancouver’s new waterfront providing minimal street closures with the addition of pedestrian walkways.
“Clark teaches safety to all of our students as we go through our student tours because not all squirrels have been as fortunate as Clark The Safety Squirrel while around electricity,” Lena Wittler, CEO of Clark Public Utilities, said about the new mascot.
The youngest participants enjoyed the comfort of their strollers while another 90-year-old participant completed the event.
North Clark County was well represented at the Race for Warmth with 42 participants from Battle Ground, 27 from Brush Prairie, 26 from Ridgefield, 12 from La Center, five from Woodland and five from Yacolt.
Many of the participants came from around the Pacific Northwest, but a handful came in from places on the East Coast like Maryland, Connecticut and Florida.
Donations poured in from participants at the event and also came in virtually.
“One of the things we realized is that we can do it virtually and in-person, so it’s great that we have people from all over the United States participating in this race this year,” Wittler said.
The race featured a mix of competition runners and people who wanted to enjoy an activity for a good cause.
Amanda Phillips, from Hood River, secured first place for the women’s 10K competition with Brian Horneck, from Portland, taking first place for the men’s 10K competition. Phillips’ time of 37:37.7 was good for second overall. She finished behind Horneck’s time of 35:09.5 in the 10K contest.
For the 5K competition, Stephanie Liberman, of Portland, took first place for the women as Mike Sprinkle of Washougal, cracked the 20-minute mark. A 5K race is good for 3.1 miles, while the 10K race equates to 6.2 miles.
Once finished with their route, participants were able to go into a large tent with live music and soup thanks to sponsors Columbia Credit Union, AC Hotel by Marriott, and others like Corwin Beverage Distributor from Ridgefield. Along with sponsors, local businesses donated prize baskets for raffles that supported the cause.
“There were so many generous local businesses that donated to our prize pool this year,” Director of Communications Erica Erland said. “Generous baskets from the Indigo Hotel, Sherwin-Williams, and many others provided incredible generosity that gives us another opportunity to raise funds for Operation Warm Heart.”
