The long run: Event for scholarship foundation finds some participants trying for 100 miles

Nearly 200 runners from the Cape Girardeau area and beyond came together to run for a cause in the eighth annual Howard Aslinger Foundation Endurance Run, which benefits the Howard Aslinger Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

"[Howard] always said he was in a wheelchair, but it wasn't a handicap; it was an inconvenience," said Madison Aslinger, granddaughter of Howard Aslinger and a founding member of the scholarship foundation.

She said the run is meant to "inconvenience" runners for one day, to memorialize Howard and to have a good time.

"We had 141 people in the 12-hour and 24-hour runs, and between 25 and 30 in last night's Aslinger 5K," organizer Kim Kelpe said Saturday, who with her husband Bryan owns Missouri Running Co. in Cape Girardeau. Kelpe said several people sign up and donate on the day of the race, and estimated a total of nearly 200 people would participate.

The endurance run began in Arena Park at 7 p.m. Friday, with several runners attempting to meet personal goals. Some ran 50 miles, others 100.

Dana Osborne walks with her son Landyn Fleming, 5, dressed in firefighter gear for the eighth annual Howard Aslinger Endurance Run on Friday in Cape Girardeau. Osborne has a goal to complete 35 miles for the 35 fallen firefighters who have lost their lives due to cardiac arrest and exhaustion on duty.Andrew J. Whitaker

"We have a couple people over 100 miles already," Aslinger said about noon Saturday. "A few are aiming to break 155 miles, and I don't see why they wouldn't."

Tiffiney Smith's goal was not 155 miles, but to complete the 100K, about 62.5 miles, in 24 hours.

"I've been running in ultras for five years," she said, referring to runs longer than a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.

"It's like a big camping party," Smith said. "When you're racing for 24 hours, you become close."

Greg Cugini said participating in this run was his new year's resolution for 2017.

"I did it last year," he said, "but I wanted to do better."

Cugini said he began at 7 p.m. Friday, and completed 50 miles in 16 hours, 33 minutes.

Cugini said before this year's run, he had finished a 31-mile run.

"My focus is really getting out to support the foundation," he said. "And it's a good time. I enjoy it."

Michelle Horvath traveled to Cape Girardeau from just outside St. Louis for the race, she said.

"I'm going to try to hit 24 hours with this run," she said about noon Saturday, adding she's never done that yet.

"I've run a lot of ultras in the last year," she said. "At Tunnel Hill last year, I made it to 71 out of 100 miles. Today, I'm at 57 so far."

Horvath said she appreciated the race's start time.

"When you start at 7, you're still alert," she said. "Get those first hours done at night, rather than races that start in the morning, you're exhausted when it gets dark out."

She added, "Twenty-four hours is my goal. I am going 24 hours."

Mark Rigdon said volunteering at the snack table was interesting in its own way.

"I ran last year," he said. "This year, I got drafted to help this way."

Rigdon said the available snacks mostly were high in salt content and simple carbohydrates to help athletes avoid cramps.

"We have salt tablets, cubed boiled potatoes that the runners just grab some and roll in salt, eat it that way," he said. "But the chicken broth is what saved my life last year."

Rigdon said the night hours are cold and long, and the hot, salty chicken broth helps the runners.

"They start in on the coffee at about 4 or 5 a.m.," he said.

Dana Osborne took a few minutes for a "recovery period" during her run. Osborne, a volunteer firefighter in Fruitland, was running in full bunker gear, including an air pack, to honor firefighters who have died of cardiac arrest.

"It's the leading cause of death among firefighters," she said, above smoke inhalation or injury.

"It's over 50 pounds of gear total," Osborne said.

Osborne planned to run at least one mile for every firefighter who died of cardiac arrest last year, she said.

"I'm at 35 right now, which was my initial goal," she said, but said she planned to finish more miles Saturday afternoon.

Osborne said her coach was Kim Kelpe, who worked with her to create a routine incorporating cardio and weightlifting.

"It was probably 15 hours a week for several weeks leading up to this run," she said.

"I told Kim my goal, and she said, 'We're gonna do this,' and we did," Osborne said. "She is amazing."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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