- November 20, 2024
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The wind was strong and the temperature had dropped another 10 degrees with night fall. Dressed in a tutu strung with lights over her running gear, Lois Duncan stepped up to the starting line; she said she runs better in the cold.
She was one of a group of about 35 runners who came out Friday night to run the Starlight half-marathon course.
“It’s kind of a written rule that if you have the medal or wear the shirt, you have to have actually run the race,” Duncan said. “Being able to earn the medal is really important.”
Although she already had the medal, Duncan and several other runners felt like it wasn’t completely earned because the original race held Dec. 14 was cut short because of storms which eventually yielded the tornado.
“The race started without a hitch,” said race organizer Carrie Meng, recalling the events of the night of Dec. 14.
There was light rain, but 45 minutes later, flashes of light hit the sky. The 5K runners had mostly all crossed the finish line at that point, but the half-marathoners were mid-course.
“That was a little nerve-wracking,” Duncan said. “Our rule is usually we run except for when there is lightning.”
Police intercepted runners just over the halfway point and sent them to shelter at Flagler Palm Coast High School, Epic Theatres and their cars. Duncan was one of those runners. But a large group that was already passed that mark, and they got stranded in the bathrooms on Colbert Lane.
Before the Friday night run, Tim McMandon stood next to Duncan remembering his experience in the bathrooms. Scary is the only word he could use to describe it.
But wind, rain, lightning and even a tornado can’t stop this group of runners.
“We have a strong running community here,” Meng said. “We run it together and celebrate it together.”
