Festival of Leaves 5K

Front Royal, VA, October 14, 2006

Race Report

From the "Not Dead Yet" Department comes this story-- appropriately eerie considering its occurrence so close to Halloween-- of the race that would not die!

I did not request the Festival of Leaves 5K race be added to Shenandoah Valley Runners calendar in 2006, as I found myself short of volunteers and juggling too many simultaneous duties affiliated with Front Royal's Festival of Leaves (part of my job as the executive director of the Warren Heritage Society, the Festival's sponsor and organizer). From 3:00 AM on Saturday the 14th of October on into the night, I knew that I would be helping vendors set up downtown, be lining up and starting a parade, setting up a kids' activity area, giving tours of museums, and so on. In short, I have run out of time to also be the race director of the festival's 5K.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I showed up at Warren County High School in order to park and start the parade line-up, and a couple approached me, ready for a race!

Bruce and Nyra White, recently retired and moved to Front Royal, were there for Bruce to run a 5K, and he appeared crushed when informed that the race was not being held. Apparently Mr. White had not come out in 2005 due to the heavy rain during the Festival, and had sworn for an entire year that no weather condition short of an actively spinning tornado would stop him from participating in the 2006 running of the Festival of Leaves 5K.

Not wanting to disappoint, I started Bruce on his run, asked wife Nyra to join me in the Jeep, and so enjoyed a pleasant visit with Mrs. White as we drove the course for Mr. White, stopping to direct him at intersections and pause traffic.

Bruce White, male, aged 64, finished in a time of 31:31-- this year's fastest time! I am proud of Bruce, but also grateful, as we can now, without qualification, report the successful and unbroken continuation of the Festival of Leaves 5K-- long may it be run!

Incidentally, this was the seventh annual running of the Festival of Leaves 5K, begun in 2000. See you next year for the eighth annual celebration of this event... Maybe we'll put some effort into improving attendance!