COVID-conscious Reagan Run more than a walk in the park

DIXON – Part of the bummer that was the summer of 2020 was the cancellation of the Dixon Petunia Festival and one of its most popular features, the Reagan Run.

In 2021, however, the 5K that has been a hit with runners from all over the country was back – with a twist.

Instead of being contested in the streets of Dixon, it was moved to a more COVID-resistant, bucolic setting Saturday morning.

It began at Lowell Park and ended at the Lowell Parkway Trail on Washington Avenue. A total of 410 runners and walkers, ranging in age from 5 to 81, participated. Starting times were staggered to keep the trail from getting too clogged, and to aid in social distancing.

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Heat B starts their run Saturday at Lowell Park. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com)

Some athletes were competitive, concerned about their time and place, while others treated it like a walk in the park. Afterward, participants munched on donated fruit, cookies and pizza, chugged bottles of water, and basked in the return of a summer staple that now has been held 21 years.

“Having the first time we’ve been on this course, everything went like clockwork,” race director Nancy Varga said. “I say that every year, and that’s because we’ve been on a course we’ve done for 20-some years, but this year was especially great. This committee, they closed the loops with each other. It was kind of neat because we’d be thinking, ‘Hey, we should do this,’ and then the next person would say, ‘But if we do, think about this.’

“Everybody really worked well together. We were so happy with how it turned out. And who wouldn’t be happy with this weather?”

The top overall finisher was Anthony Holguin, who covered the 3.1-mile course in 15 minutes, 30.78 seconds. Recent Dixon High School graduate Cadyn Grafton was second in 16:10.23, while Anthony Wells of Amboy was third in 17:02.83.

A Dixon resident, the 33-year-old Holguin was a member of the cross country team at Wisconsin-Parkside. He was as comfortable as anybody with the new Reagan Run course.

“I love the trail, since I train on here every other day,” Holguin said. “It’s a home-court advantage for me.”

The top female finisher, Kayla Anderson of Madison, Wisconsin, also had a collegiate running background. Anderson, 27, earned All-American honors at Wisconsin-LaCrosse in her junior season. She ran the 800-meter leg of the distance medley relay, and helped her team place second in that event at the Division III national meet.

“This is my first time doing this race, but I loved it,” Anderson said. “There’s not too many turns, and I’m not a huge hill person. I like the flat. I loved the course.”

Anderson finished 12th overall. The next two female finishers were Mary Kate Supplitt of San Francisco, who finished 17th overall in 18:44.72, and Megan Grady of Amboy, who was 18th in 18:52.8.

Go to reaganrun.com or raceresultsplus.com for complete results.