Love Hurts, But Only A Little
Inaugural Love Hurts 5K/10K a success despite near freezing temps.
The morning of Saturday, February 17th began with a crisp 35 degrees and wind gusts up to 18mph, all of which proved not to deter the 31 runners/walkers that showed up for the first ever Love Hurts 5K/10K. Both races boasted an epic climb up to Lover’s Leap and then for the 5Kers, ended in a quick dash downhill to the finish, while the 10K route continued on, past the pageant grounds and then back to city park. Many of our local talents were present, as well as some new faces to the Junction race scene. Awards for the top two competitors in every division of each distance were given out following the race.
Results were as follows for the 5K (3.1 miles): 15 and under, 1st place male was Cooper Van der Merwe and 2nd was Milo Jackson. 1st place female was Andi Archer and 2nd was Farrah Hicks. Cooper’s time of
27:24 and Andi’s time of 29:38 secured them top honors as 1st place overall male and female for the entire 5K race. 26-39 1st place male was Cody Tabor and 2nd was Ryan Stockton. 1st place female was Maddie Wimberly and 2nd was Rhylie Falson. Representing our Masters Division was 1st place male, Zach Ehlers and 2nd was Frank Tijerina. 1st place female was Brittany Whitworth and 2nd place went to Kelly Temple. Within the 10K, 8 brave souls took on the 6.2 miles, with the following results. The 26-39 division was represented by 1st place male, Daniel Young and 2nd place Trey O’Brien. The female division was won by Candace Morrison, followed by Michele O’Brien. Dwight Whitworth won the Master’s Division. Candace’s time of 56:10 and Dwight’s time of 57:18 secured them the top spots for the overall 10K. The “Most Experienced Racer” award was given to Steve McDaniel of Lampasas who is 68 years old and is part of the Tx254 club. The club is a small group that has devoted a lot of their running career to
racing in a sponsored event in all of the 254 counties in Texas. To date, Steve has completed 233. We were honored to have him and to get to hear his story. Just 21 more Steve!! And last was the couples award. A tip of the hat to the highest scoring couple, which went to the O’Brien pair. Couples that run together, have fun together!
Race Junction was elated at the overwhelming encouragement we received for the event prior to race day. We want to thank the Junction Texas Tourism Board for their continued support, as well as HCTC, Bindee Yoga, Texas Scratch Kitchen of Menard, Kothmann Insurance, Bradbury Farm, the Honey Bean Coffee and Tea Co., Hill Country Well Service, Pizza Junction, Kerr County Federal Credit Union and Rio Bonito Construction, LLC. Without the generous contributions from these sponsors the Love Hurts
5K/10K would not have been the success it was and as a result of the support received Race Junction will be donating a portion of all race entries to Junction CASP! We would also like to send a special thank you to Torri Collins-Ehrlich for braving the elements, with a smile on her face and bringing our event to life with her photos as well as a thank you to Sheriff Allen Castleberry and his willingness to help keep our route safe. We especially want to express our appreciation for all the many volunteers who continue to say “yes” when asked to come out and give us a hand. Race participants often say it is the volunteers who make the event a favorite; happy to say that is true in Junction.
For three years we have attempted to get this race off the ground and we could not be more proud to see it come to fruition. Thank you to Junction for your support of all the events Race Junction is a part of. We hope to see everyone back again next year but before then mark your calendars for the Up and Back Boat Race on August 17th and the Hill Country Challenge Triathlon on November 23rd!
Love Hurts - February 17, 2024
Love Hurts is a 5K/10K Run in Junction Texas
Contact Hilary Jackson for details
512-516-9184
