“Fingers crossed that we have a good day tomorrow,” Rogue Valley YMCA, Executive Director, Brad Russell says.
The wind may be whipping, but that’s not stopping thousands of people from grabbing their bibs for the Pear Blossom Run this weekend.
“If you train for it,” runner Stan Goodell says, “you’re ready for it.”
“It’s a good time,” participant Bob Vaughn says.
Vaughn and Goodell should know, they’ve both been participating for decades.
“I don’t know exactly but at least 30 of ’em,” Goodell says.
Stan’s been logging miles for the last 52 years. Bob, got bitten by the running bug a little later in life.
“I’ve been running since I was 60,” he says.
Now 77, Bob continues to run the same race he did first at 60; the 10-miler. Over the years, he and Stan have encountered a variety of conditions.
“I’ve had rain, snow, sleet, hail, hot, very hot days, very cold, days,” Goodell says, “been through it all.”
That’s why the slight chance of a few flakes Saturday morning isn’t too daunting, though organizers say it would be unusual.
“It would be out of the ordinary to have snow on Pear Blossom morning,” Russell says.
And while the impending inclement weather has impacted registration numbers a bit, for the die hards even cold, wet weather can’t dampen their spirits.
“Whatever they bring, whatever comes on I’m ready,” Goodell says,
Proceeds from the Pear Blossom Run allow low-income children and their families to be a part of the YMCA’s programs. The first runners take off at 7 a.m.
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