The Sentinel-Record - HER - Hot Springs
OLYMPIC STRIDES
Behind the scenes of one of the ‘top races’ in the country
The excitement of crisp weather, fall foliage, and the coming together of friends and family offers much to be thankful for. Hot Springs recognizes this time of year and welcomes it with open arms as running communities from all over the region converge on the annual Spa Running Festival.
Now in its 37th year, the festival continues to grow rapidly attracting runners to the half marathon, 10K, 5K, Spa Squirt Race, up to 1K for children 2-10 years old, and cross-city road championship race.
The addition of the 10K road race — a school competition that will be held for the second consecutive year — is described by festival director Cindy Baswell as similar to cross-country, but as an official “road race” for the young high school cross-country athletes.
Recognized by Runner’s World Magazine as one of the “top races to run” in a national park, the Spa Running Festival is not only delightfully challenging but equipped for all ages with a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. The festival attracted approximately 1,560 in 2017.
“The Spa Running Festival has really grown over the years that I’ve been involved,” Baswell said. “In the last four to five years, it’s really become a year-round planning project for the race committee. I have a great team of individuals that work with me on the committee.
“Since our race is so late in the year, we pretty much take the month of December off just to give ourselves a break. In just trying to get it closed out, we take that month off and then we start working on it again for the next year. It’s really become a 12-month project just because of the growth of it and the quality of the race that we put on.”
Due to the large scale of components that make up the festival’s layout, Baswell explained that the race committee must divide the work into segments as they work to collaborate and prepare throughout the year.
“Initially, we work on getting our applications submitted in the first quarter,” she said. “Then we get online registration active and going by April. Toward the end of that time, we start working on shirts and medals that we will be giving to the race participants. We start working on sponsorships in March or April. Now, we’re to the point of fine-tuning the logistics, the racecourse, the day of the race, the expo and recruiting volunteers.”
When asked what defines the Spa Running Festival as an event for all ages, Baswell noted that not everyone is trained to handle the longer mileage the 10k and half-marathon require as “not everyone wants to run the hills.”
“We do have what I feel is a race for everyone,” she said. “It can really be a family event because we do have an event for everyone in the family. When we added the half-marathon, the goal was to attract runners from out of state, and we have. You are running on the mountains, you are going to see beautiful scenery. When you go uphill, you’ll have plenty of recovery time in between and before the next one as you go downhill.”
The event focuses on Hot Springs with proceeds supporting several local, nonprofit organizations such as the Teen Challenge of Arkansas, The Friends of the Parks, and the Buzz Wilson Running Scholarship program for local high school students. This program awards scholarships to seniors involved in running who exemplify the principles identified in the Spa Pacers’ mission statement.
Festival runners have the opportunity to roam the same streets that historic legends such as Al Capone, Babe Ruth, and even President Roosevelt, did long ago. Not only will the participants experience these nostalgic renditions, but this year, the city welcomes Olympian, American-Marathon record holder and The New
York Times best-selling author Deena Kastor as the 2018 race starter. Kastor showed great humility regarding her many record-breaking successes
over the years in an interview. She noted her eagerness and excitement to visit Hot Springs, as well as the enthusiasm behind her willingness to actively participate in the festival.
“To be able to return to Arkansas, then to be able to start the race during race weekend is an honor and a privilege,” she said. “With all the years that I’ve put in so much work, these are definitely the little rewards that make me really proud to be in a sport that’s so inclusive. The festival includes children, maybe firsttime runners and some veterans looking to run personal bests, so I just feel like it’s great to be part of the running community and to be able to experience Hot Springs that way.
“It’s not only a local event, but you guys do get runners from around the country that want to go to bucket-list cities to experience what they have to offer. It’s really wonderful that Hot Springs can host people from around the country to show off their beautiful city. I get inspired watching it and being a part.”