Life is wild. One moment you’re the best runner in your family, and the next moment your 7-year-old daughter is running circles around you.
I knew it was going to happen eventually – I don’t set the bar very high with my lumbering strides, after all – but Vivienne still caught me off guard.
Coming off a youth wrestling season that saw Vivi’s toughness and confidence increase tenfold, we were outside working on soccer skills, as well as investing some time into her newest athletic venture: Running.
We ended our training with a long loop around the graveyard track behind our house, and before I could I even say go Vivienne burst out of the gates with an intent to annihilate. I played along with long, easy strides and kept her in my sights, just waiting for an opening.
But when we reached the halfway point of the 400-meter loop, she found a new gear and aggressively put more distance between the two of us. I unleashed a mighty kick to make her take a brief glance behind, but it wasn’t nearly enough: I had just gotten smoked by a second-grader.
Yes I felt a sting, and a creak in this old back, but also that surge of pride that comes when you see that competitive “lightbulb” flash on from your child.
That was a big moment in its own right, so imagine how I felt the ensuing weekend when Vivi did something on her first try that no one from this family has ever done: She won a race.
In this 800-meter race for the Healthy Kids Running Series, I watched her do to the girls field exactly what she did to me: Explode to a fast start and push the pace to drag her competition into deep waters.
Vivi admitted that she went out way too fast and wore herself out too quickly, but she never stopped running and even gave the boy in front of her a run for his money. The race ended with Vivi using powerful strides to push her exhausted body to the finish line as the top female.
This performance came one day after she scored the game-winning goal for her soccer team.
I am beyond proud of Vivienne. This is the type of stuff I daydream about to carry me through the long work weeks.
Of course I have to warn Vivi not to rest on her laurels. Winning is never a guarantee. There is always someone working hard to replace you on the top of that mountain.
Don’t believe me? Just ask the guy who lost his spot as the top athlete in the Sandrik family.
1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD
Hagerstown’s Jana Fridrichova would love to collect five railroad spikes — the trophy for completing the grueling 74-mile Georgia Death Race — before she turns 50.
Competing in Blairsville, Ga., Fridrichoa labored through 16,000 feet of elevation gain to earn her second spike in 19:52:11, well ahead of the 25-hour deadline. She said that this year’s race was very physically challenging, and that she had to rely on her mental game to get to the finish line. Fridrichova detailed spending the last few miles of the race carrying her spike in hand as a reminder of how far she’s come in her life as an ultrarunner. She said that part of that progress is not attaching herself to results and the disappointment that can come with not reaching a certain outcome, but rather being fully present in the moment and celebrating the finish.
“From the race directing crew to the volunteers that do so much so that we can have these moments, thank you,” Fridrichova said. “I’m thrilled for 2026 and my third spike, health and god willing.”
Fridrichova wasn’t the only one on the trails: Buck Ridge Burn at Pine Grove Furnace State Park drew saw nearly 350 competitors, including dozens from the Local.News1.org coverage area, compete at three different race distances.
The Buck Ridge Burn Half Marathon saw Eric Brennan finish fourth overall in 1:46:23, while fellow Chambersburg runners Amanda Seibert (2:05:07) and Sarah Boward (2:05:47) finish as second and third female, respectively. They were chased by Fayetteville’s Philip Samotus (1:55:34), Chambersburg’s Ryan Kaczmark (2:06:19), and Hagerstown’s Matthew McDonald (2:01:32).
Luke Gentzel, of Smithsburg, nailed down top honors in 55:11 at the Buck Ridge Burn 10K+. Greencastle’a Amy Brulo captured third in the 30-39 AG with a time of 1:16:11, while Smithsburg’s Dave Gentzel (1:24:20) and Chambersburg’s Amelia Haney (1:25:07) also posted notable times.
The Buck Ridge Burn 5K was highlighted by the efforts of Waynesboro’s Tucker Murray, who finished as top male in 29:16. He was joined in the Top 10 by Smithsburg’s Cora Gentzel (2nd in 26:56) and Waynesboro’s Graeme Murray (4th in 29:19) and Declan Murray (5th in 30:21).
In Hagerstown, the Hub City Half Marathon saw six area runners finish in the Top 10, including race winner Jonah Smith of Smithsburg, who conquered the field of 263 runners in 1:17:23. Hagerstown’s Michael Stumpowski (2nd in 1:18:11), Bryan Durboraw (5th in 1:23:54), Randy Loman (7th in 1:27:25), and Zachary Schreiber (8th in 1:28:00), and Greencastle’s Joshua Reddoch (6th in 1:26:20) all logged top finishes, while other notable times were recorded by Hagerstown’s Michael Hohl (1:34:46) and Drew Merrill (1:38:54), Chambersburg’s Christian Sunkler (1:34:52), and Greencastle’s Grant Murray (1:35:07).
Two Chambersburg runners — Quinn and Cheryl Oyler — were the winners of the Lavi a Bon 5K in Shippensburg. Quinn won the race in 19:49, while Cheryl finished as top female in 26:11. Emanuel Ciocan, of Greencastle, took second in 20:47.
A number of others were active in races across the region and beyond, including Waynesboro’s Jeffrey Hein (5:26:19 at Delaware Marathon), Fayetteville’s Monique Weaver (2:03:22 at Delaware Half Marathon), Chambersburg’s Kaitlin Measell (31:38 at Buzzy’s Run, Walk, Roll for Research 5K), Bill Himchak (32:27 at Run to Rise SAAPM 5K), and Leah Myers (2:00:16 at Xenia Half Marathon), Fairfield’s Beverly Black (35:35 at Spin in the Woods 4 Miler) and Justin Crider (1:19:38 at Capital 10K), Hagerstown’s Michael Sanders (20:31 at Valor 5K), Frances Shipe (29:22 at Clarksburg 5K), and Alessia Regazzoni (58:03 at Sole of the City 10K), Will Marquiss (1:34:34 at Salisbury Half Marathon), and Allie Isaacs (3:22:08 at B & A Trail Marathon), and Smithsburg’s Walter Naberhaus (22:13 at Seton Center 5K).
And now, a look ahead:
Heralds of Hope 5K: Saturday, 10:30 a.m., in Shippensburg. Compete on the Cumberland Valley Rail-Trail in this event, which benefits the Ministry of Heralds of Hope. Learn more on timberhilltiming.com.
Snack Town 10K: Saturday, 8 a.m., in Hanover. Start and finish this race at the South Hanover YMCA, and in between, enjoy the tree-lined streets of West Manheim around the Long Arm Reservoir.
Bruce Hollabaugh 5K: Sunday, 9 a.m., in Biglerville. The Hollabaugh Bros., Inc. farm will serve as the backdrop for this inaugural race, which celebrates the life of Bruce Hollabaugh. Register for the race on runsignup.com.
Also: Boston Trail Half Marathon (Saturday, in Elizabeth Township); Butterfly Trail Run 5K/10K (Saturday, in Lancaster); Dirty Kiln Trail Races 5M/13.1M (Saturday, in Hollidaysburg); Looking For A Cure Philadelphia 5K (Saturday, in Philadelphia); Nun Run 5K (Saturday, in Reading); Philadelphia Trail Marathon (Saturday, in Philadelphia); Pirate 5K/10K (Saturday, in York); Penn Vet 5K (Sunday, in Philadelphia); Tussey to Whipple 11 Miler (Sunday, in Boalsburg); Valley Forge Revolutionary 5 Miler (Sunday, in King of Prussia); Thirsty Thursday 5K (Thursday, April 17, in Reading); Bunny Hop 5K (Saturday, April 19, in Shippensburg); Bunny Hop Trot 5K (Saturday, April 19, in Mount Joy); Hyner View Trail Challenge 25K/50K (Saturday, April 19, in Hyner); Pirate 5K/10K (Saturday, April 19, in Akron); Rock the Knock 13.1M (Saturday, April 19, in Quakertown); Tapped for Sap 25K Trail Race (Saturday, April 19, in Beaver Falls); YRTC Spring Races 5K/10K/10M/13.1M (Saturday, April 19, in Connellsville).
