By Derek Rosenfeld
I’ve just returned home from my sixth Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and for five of those trips, I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in the Ray Downey Courage & Valor 5K Fun Run in the city’s White River State Park across from Lucas Oil Stadium.
I ran my first 5K race in the parking lot of Florida State University’s football stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, in January 2008 at the age of 33; I finished at 27:27; not great, but not bad either, especially considering the overcast, murky conditions; the strange layout of the course; and the nervousness that goes with not knowing just how far 5,000 meters really is. I ended up receiving a medal for finishing 3rdin my age group. Not too shabby.
几个月后,我拉n my second 5K race: The first ever Courage & Valor Fun Run at FDIC 2008 (right, w/Mike McEvoy). Never a morning person, I was hesitant to take time out of my busy work schedule to get up early and trek down across the then-unfamiliar cityscape with sleep still stuck in my eyes. I ran into a woman who was just as concerned with finding the starting line as me, so we followed a few others who looked like runners on their way to the race.
A great event for a greater cause, this year’s race took place on Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. near the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
The race was created by Indianapolis (IN) Fire Department’s Sue Shepherd and FDIC Education Director and188金宝搏是正规吗Editor in Chief Bobby Halton (below).
Shepherd recalled, “Bobby and I created this event in 2007 when we were introduced at the Redmond Symposium. We wanted to bring a fitness event to FDIC that would be open to attendees, instructors, vendors, event staff as well as the general public, while also supporting a great cause—the Ray Downey Courage & Valor Foundation.” She continued, “Our first event was in 2008 with approximately 200 participants. This year, we had more than 900.”
Indeed, what started out in 2008 with a respectable 200 or so participants has exploded to more than 900 and counting. The amount of runners in the race has swelled to the point where runners’ final times are being skewed; there are now so many athletes competing that navigating the mass of humanity through the park canal’s tight passages is becoming more and more difficult during the race’s first half mile. However, a minute or two off one’s running time is a small sacrifice to make for what is becoming one of the most popular aspects of the world’s largest firefighter conference.
After an emotional opening ceremony highlighted by poignant speeches from Halton, Shepherd, and Poudre (CO) Fire Authority Chief Tom DeMint (below), the race began with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s; perfect running weather that was in stark contrast to the previous year’s low-80s temps that affected even the most experienced runners.
…and they’re off!
188金宝搏是正规吗Executive Editor Diane Rothschild prepares…showing off her new rock!
Bobby Halton nearing the finish line with Pleasantview (IL) Fire Protection Department’s Forest Reeder in pursuit.
188金宝搏是正规吗Associate Editor Rob Maloney joined for the second straight year.
Fire Apparatus & Emergency EquipmentAssociate Editor Chris McLoone about to cross the finish line, looking sharp.
Saratoga County (NY) EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy.
Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Department member Woody Langrover.
The winner of the FDIC 2013 Ray Downey Courage & Valor Fun Run: Corey Alfredson, with a time of 17:08. The women’s winner was Elizabeth Blackburn, with a time of 19:54.9.
With a final time of 29:17 (my slowest time in a 5K), some minor fatigue and sore feet, and a goofy postrace photo, I was more than satisfied with the run. I am now 39 and have competed in about 15 5Ks; the Courage & Valor is easily the most picturesque of them all. Hopefully, my 40thyear will be punctuated by yet another FDIC attendance record, which could also mean a few more new faces to take part and donate to this most important and inspiring happening.
See you next year!
Photos by Tony Greco
Derek Rosenfeldis an associate editor for188金宝搏是正规吗. He is an assistant baseball coach at Bloomfield (NJ) College, a NCAA D-II program that plays in the wood bat Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. He has coached baseball at the collegiate level for eight seasons, including stints at New Jersey’s Bergen Community College and Ramapo College. He has also been an infielder in several highly competetive semipro baseball leagues throughout the New York tri-state area.
During the mid-90s, Rosenfeld was a three-year starter at second base for the Ramapo College baseball team in Mahwah, New Jersey, where he earned all-New Jersey Athletic Conference honors and was a two-time New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) all-star selection. He was named MVP of the 1997 NJCBA All-Star Game. He has a bachelor of art’s degree in communications from Ramapo College.
