Second annual event to be held Sept. 28

 

By MAUNETTE LOEKS

New Media Editor

When Sam and Jennifer Malmberg competed in the Platte Valley Companies Monument Marathon last year, the couple said they were glad to see a marathon held in their former community.

Jennifer Malmberg, who grew up in Mitchell, said when she heard that a marathon would be held in the area, the couple decided they had to run in the marathon, despite plans to run in another marathon just a week earlier. The couple didn’t regret their decision. She and her husband, Sam, were the overall winners of the full-marathon in the male and female divisions. They plan to return as the marathon marks its second year on Sept. 28.

“I have certainly never ran a more impressive marathon,” Jennifer Malmberg said during a press conference Friday, adding that the marathon was among her top choices.

Her husband, Sam, also praised the marathon. An eastern Nebraska native, he said he has fallen in love with the area and its outdoor opportunities.

“Western Nebraska is beautiful,” he said. “A lot of people in eastern Nebraska and Colorado do not know how beautiful it is out here.”

The scenery of western Nebraska is one of the highlights of the marathon, which will be in its second year. Jennifer Malmberg said the course, which begins in the Wildcat Hills and winds through the badlands, around the Scotts Bluff National Monument and through Mitchell Pass, “is the perfect amount of road with a little bit of trail running mixed in.”

It’s a challenging course, she said, but a course that makes it great for first-time marathon runners.

The Malmbergs said they have put the marathon on their running schedule and organizers, like race director Dayle Wallien, are hoping that others will join them. Wallien said 422 runners from 24 states came to Gering for the inaugural Platte Valley Companies Monument Marathon and Half-Marathon.

“We are hoping for much better numbers when Hod Kosman pulls the starting trigger for the marathon,” Wallien said.

Kosman, chief executive officer and president of Platte Valley Companies, said Platte Valley Companies is excited to once again be the title sponsor of the event.

“What a wonderful event it was,” he said, nothing that organizers and volunteers were worked through the challenges of some rough weather during last year’s event. “It (the event) really shows the spirit of the community, the partnerships we can form.”

One of the goals of the marathon, Kosman and Wallien said, was to highlight the area and bring tourism to western Nebraska. According to figures presented by Wallien, the marathon did just that, with more than 162 participants of the marathon and half-marathon traveling to the marathon from out of state. Sixty-two participants  traveled from areas of Nebraska outside of the Panhandle, with 29 of those Nebraskan travelers coming from communities more than 100 miles from Gering.

Of those traveling, Wallien said 168 people responded to a survey indicated that half of them had stayed at least one night in the area. Thirty-one respondents indicated they had stayed two nights and 19 respondents said they had stayed her three nights or more.

“It is good for economic development in the area,” Wallien said.

The event also served as a fundraiser for Western Nebraska Community College’s Foundation.

Last year, more than 250 people volunteered before and during the marathon, including volunteers who came from the surrounding communities of Sidney, Alliance and Bridgeport. Wallien said volunteers are “absolutely vital” to the marathon. Community support, especially those who cheer on runners, “really adds to the participants’ race experience.”

Sign up opportunities for volunteering are available on the marathon website.

Registration for the marathon is underway. This year’s Half-Marathon will be a Nebraska championship course for the Road Runners of America Club. The Monument Marathon and Half-Marathon courses are sanctioned and certified by the USA Track and Field Association.

For more on the Platte Valley Companies’ Monument Marathon, visit its website, www.monumentmarathon.com or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/monumentmarathon

By MAUNETTE LOEKS

Star-Herald New Media Editor

Platte Valley Companies, the Western Nebraska Community College Foundation and the Star-Herald are partnering once again to bring a unique running experience to western Nebraska. The three will come together to host the second annual Platte Valley Companies’ Monument Marathon on Sept. 28.

Last year, runners enjoyed a successful inaugural marathon and half-marathon event. Nearly 400 runners and walkers competed in the runs, traveling along the same routes as pioneers who traveled the Oregon, Mormon and California trails.

“Last year’s Monument Marathon was such an amazing event, and Platte Valley Companies was honored to be a part of it,” said Hod Kosman, president and chief executive officer of Platte Valley Companies. “We are excited to once again be the headline sponsor and look forward to what the future brings for the marathon, our local athletes, and those from all over the nation.”

 The full marathon, which encompasses 26.2 miles, and half-marathon, which is 13.1 miles, offer a unique experience to runners and walkers. Scotts Bluff National Monument serves as the focal point of the natural beauty enjoyed by participants as the course traverses through the park’s badlands and historic Mitchell Pass. The plains of western Nebraska offer landscape views that contrast with the adjoining Wildcat Hills and their rugged rock buttes and pine-clad canyons.

The marathon takes place in and near Gering and served as a key event for the communities of Gering and Scottsbluff last year.

 “This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s uniquely beautiful landscapes, as well as, our uniquely energetic and progressive communities,” Kosman said. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the marathon organizers and volunteers, there is no doubt that the success of last year’s marathon will translate into an even bigger and better event that will not only benefit the WNCC Foundation, but our region as well.”

WNCC Foundation Executive Director Dayle Wallien, who serves as race director, said many individuals and leaders from local businesses and entities came together to make the event successful.

“The support from the community, businesses and entities was so amazing,” she said. “Everyone really made it an event that lots of our participants have praised. We are hoping for that same support.”

The Star-Herald served as a sponsor last year and is looking forward to participating in the event again this year. The Star-Herald wanted to assist in hosting an event that would promote health and fitness in the local community.

Star-Herald Publisher Jim Holland said he has already seen local runners and walkers out in the community, training for the event.

“We are pleased to see people in the community working toward achieving their own personal health and fitness goals,” Holland said. “We wanted to bring an event that made a difference in the community and we are thrilled to see so many people making lifestyle changes and striving to compete in the half- and full-marathons.”

Registration for the Platte Valley Companies Monument Marathon is open and people have already begun registering. Runners and walkers signing up early will receive discounted entry fees.

For more information on the marathon, including travel information, course information and more, visit the Platte Valley Companies Monument Marathon website, www.monumentmarathon.com. You can also visit Monument Marathon on Facebook, www.facebook.com/monumentmarathon.

Registrations for the marathons are currently being taken, both online and by mail. To submit registrations via mail, send them to WNCC Foundation, 1601E. 27th St., Scottsbluff, NE, 69361