BLUEgrass Runners will again hand out its annual member awards at the club holiday party on December 17. Five awards will be given: Club Member of the Year, Male and Female Runners of the Year, and Male and Female Most Improved Runners of the Year. All club members are encouraged to vote and you can do so in one of the following ways:
By email: Email your selections to bgrunnersawards@gmail.com by midnight, 11/30.
In-person: Bring your votes to the 11/19 club meeting or hand deliver to Martin Bess by 11/30.
By mail: Mail your votes by 11/30 to Martin Bess, 632 Sheridan Dr, Lexington KY 40503.
Rules: Select one nominee for each award. If multiple names are checked for the same award, those votes will not count. Please be sure your name is on the ballot. Only one ballot per active member accepted.
Ballot: Click here to view and print a hard copy ballot.
Here is a list of the nominees followed by a brief summary of their achievements.
Club Member of the Year: Terry Foody, Louise Hensley, Rana Johnson
Male Most Improved Runner of the Year: Chris Grecco, Gerald Thompson, Valdis Zeps
Female Most Improved Runner of the Year: Debbie Jackson
Male Runner of the Year: John Sensenig, Gerald Thompson, Valdis Zeps
Female Runner of the Year: Varinka Barbini, Mary Henson, Betsy Laski, Mary Nagle, Mary Stebbins
Terry Foody (nominee for Club Member of the Year) – Terry has worked enthusiastically and tirelessly all year advocating for Bluegrass Runners participation in USATF. She continues to bring interesting opportunities to the group through those efforts and keeps us well informed of the track and cross-country issues in the region. In all that she does, she works to promote Bluegrass Runners to area groups and local youth and constantly brings us new avenues for applying our talents.
Louise Hensley (nominee for Club Member of the Year), BGR club Treasurer for the 15th consecutive year and has done a phenomenal performance again this year as BGR club treasurer and as race director for the Thoroughbred Classic 5K race. Louise plays a strong support role in many day-to-day functions that keep the club alive and is a trusted source of information about the club and the community running scene in general. In 2007, Louise took on the challenging position of Thoroughbred Classic Race Director and has since led the efforts of two very successful Thanksgiving-Day events that benefited many local non-profit organizations. Besides performing a very worthwhile service for our community she managed everything from packet stuffing to race day cleanup. The overall race registration was 1,925 participants, 500 more than last year, and the online registration went from less than 500 last year to almost 1,200 this year. Since the race was so successful, our six respective charities were able to receive a total of $13,500 (up from $9,000 last year). Her passion for giving to others makes her a natural leader in BGR’s efforts to find ways to serve the community through running.
Rana Johnson (nominee for Club Member of the Year) – for trip/race organization, Rana reserved the bus, made the hotel arrangements, and scheduled two tours of the Biltmore. In addition, Rana had plenty of games for them to play and prizes for the winners and there was a beautiful course for either a 5K or 15K, your choice.
Chris Grecco (nominee Most Improved Male Runner of the Year) – Chris has always been fast, but has worked hard this year and actually improved his times and won a couple of races to boot. He started racing on the first day of the year with a 5th place overall finish and winning his age group in Louisville’s Hangover Classic 10-miler (59:31). He didn’t race again until May when he won the Biltmore/Kiwanis 15k outright in 56:10. Next up was the Bluegrass 10,000 where he won his age group and was the second Master overall in 35:33. He then competed as an Elite Master in the Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon, running 1:16:01 (5:48/mile). Because running isn’t enough, in September Chris competed in Lexington’s Tri For Sight duathalon race, winning his age group and finishing 4th overall. He then helped Team Healthway by running one of the most difficult legs of the Bourbon Chase Relay. Chris got his second win of the year with a 17:22 5k in Nicholasville’s Delta Dash 5k in late October.
John Sensenig (nominee for Male Runner of the Year) John participated in a number of different competitions – maintaining speed of younger age groups in his 70′s. John ran 55:45 and was 2nd in his age group at the Bluegrass 10K; Derby Mini Marathon – 2:08:17 2nd age group
Gerald Thompson (nominee for Male Runner and Most Improved Male Runner of the Year) has shown he never gets tired of running his marathons. In September last year he ran in the Air Force Marathon (3:07:04) and the New York City Marathon in November (2:59:22). He then started the year with the 10-mile Hangover Classic in January (1:04:15, 1st age); the ING Georgia Marathon in March (3:04:29), the McDowell Wellness Center 10K in May (38:21, 4th overall); the Run for the Brass 5K in June (17:57, 1st age); the Heart of KY 5K in June (18:16, 2nd Overall), the R.J. Corman 5K Run in June (18:55, 1st age), the Bluegrass 10K (38:08, 3rd age), and the Crazy 8’s 8K Road Race in July (30:38). He then ran the Air Force Marathon in September (2:59:13, 1st age), surpassing last years’ time by almost 8 minutes. Gerald is a regular at the Sunday club runs, weekly track workouts, and club social events.
Valdis Zeps (nominee for Male Runner and Most Improved Male Runner of the Year.) has had a phenomenal running year, bookended with impressive marathon performances. He started the year with his very first marathon in February in Myrtle Beach, SC (3:07:33, 1st age); then proceeded his winning streak in March at the Tom May 5K (16:43, 1st overall), the Bryan Station Defender Classic 5K in April (18:07, 2nd overall and missing first by only 7 seconds); the Chrysalis House 5K in May (17:56, 2nd overall); the Girls on the Run 5K in May (17:35, 1st overall); John’s 5K XC Challenge Race I in June 18:51, fifth overall); the R.J. Corman 5K in June (17:53, third overall); the Bluegrass 10K in July (36:32, 1st age, beating last years’ time by over a minute); John’s XC Challenge Race II in July (18:23, 7th overall); the Run For Recovery race in July (18:28 1st overall); the Midsummer Night’s Run in August (17:41, 1st age); the John’s XC Challenge Race III in August (18:44, 1st overall); Burgin Fall Festival 15K (56:54, 1st overall); the Air Force Half Marathon in September 1:20:11, 1st age); Chicago Marathon in October 3:02:07, surpassing his first marathon time by more than 5 minutes). Val is a regular at the Sunday club runs, weekly track workouts, and club social events.
Varinka Barbini (nominee for Female Runner of the Year) has continued her success this year with a string of impressive performances here and abroad. In February she competed in the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon (1:24:55, 4th Female overall) and the Strawberry Plains 10K (40:43, 3rd age). In March she competed in the Little Rock Female Half Marathon (1:26:34, 4th place overall). In April she helped the Lexington Police Department bring home the first-place award in the Derby Marathon 5-person Co-ed Relay event with a time of 3:08:18. In May she competed in the Biltmore 5K Classic (19:44, 1st Female), and the arduous Lincoln Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska (3:18:07, 2nd age). For her extraordinary efforts in the Lincoln Marathon, she was selected as one of fifty-seven of the nation’s top Army and Air National Guard distance runners to the 2009-10 “All Guard Marathon Team.” She them competed in the Bluegrass 10K in July (48:58). In the 2009 World Police and Fire Games from July 31 – August 9 in Vancouver, Canada, she competed in the Biathlon, Coed Team Biathlon, 10K Cross-Country Race, Bench Press, 1500m run, Half Marathon and the mountain bike cross-country race. She received a gold medal in the team biathlon, bench press, 10K Cross Country race and the women’s biathlon. She also received a bronze medal in half-marathon and the women’s open 10K Cross Country races. In September she ran in the USAF Marathon – 10K (39:49, 1st Female, 2nd overall). In October she competed in the Bourbon Chase Relay, where her team placed 33rd of 151 teams.
Mary Henson (nominee for Female Runner of the Year) One members says he ran with her at the Tecumseh Trail Marathon last December in the snow and she did very well on the icy trail. She was also at the Horsey 100 leading her TNT team on a bicycle ride. Other highlights of the year: John’s 5K XC Challenge Race I – 29:39; Bluegrass 10K – 57:45; John’s 5K XC Race II-28:23; John’s 5K XC Race III – 28:05; Midsummer Night’s 5K – 26:31; Derby Mini Marathon – 2:34:42 (TNT coach); Papa John’s 10 Miler – 1:38:53 (TNT Coach); Rodes City 10K – 57:59 (TNT Coach).
Betsy Laski (nominee for Female Runner of the Year) – Although she just joined Bluegrass Runners this summer, Betsy has quickly established herself as a Bluegrass Runner of note. She is routinely the female winner in local 5k road and cross-country races (in several races, she has garnered one of the overall top spots, as well). She placed third among women in both the Bluegrass 10K (39:13) and Midsummer Night’s Run (18:25), and finished a very respectable 123rd among women in the Chicago Marathon with a time of 3:07:15, smashing her own marathon PR! She ran 18:49 in John’s 5K XC Race II and was first female in Girls On The Run 5K in 18:59.
Mary Nagle (nominee for Female Runner of the Year) – continued excellence in local and national races. Her outstanding year culminated with qualifying and participating in a national race. Mary practices hard at speed work and takes nothing for granted. She doesn’t miss a meeting or club run. Some of her year’s highlights were: Run for the Brass 5K – 24:59; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 5K Run for the Nun – 25:45; Midsummer’s Night 5K – 26:48 1st Age; Derby Mini Marathon 2:11:17 1st age group; Shamrock Shuffle 3K – 15:41; Run for Sight 5K – 26:10; 2009 Born to Run 5K Cynthiana – 25:37; Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival 5K – 25:54; Railroad Days 5K – 25:11 1st Age group; Constitution 5K Run for the Arts – 25:54; Medical Center 10K, Bowling Green – 53:20, 2nd Senior Grand Masters award.
Mary Stebbins (nominee for Female Runner of the Year) After PRing at every distance from 10K to the marathon last year, Mary has followed that up with many impressive performances in 2009 in central Kentucky and around the country. She kicked off the year with a 1:12:34 in the Hangover Classic 10-miler on New Year’s Day, taking 2nd in her age group and a 3:26:54 in the Disney Marathon, finishing 8th out of 1,000+ in her age group. In March, she took third in her age group with a 43:24 in the Rodes City 10K. Then in May, she ran a 3:27 in the Flying Pig Marathon and two weeks later took third place overall in the challenging Biltmore 15K in Asheville with a time of 1:08:57. In September, she took 2nd overall and 1st masters in the Downtown Doubler 30K. In October, she anchored her Bourbon Chase team to a second place division finish and one week later, she set a new half marathon PR of 1:35:18, taking second master overall and beating all 400 other women in her age group for the second consecutive year at the Columbus Half Marathon. In addition to being a great runner herself, she mentored Team in Training runners who participated in the Disney Marathon in January.
Debbie Jackson (nominee for Most Improved Female Runner), our club secretary, is a huge fan of the “runners high” and just doesn’t seem to get enough! She’s consistently set personal records in her running times from last year and throughout the year this year. Debbie started off her running year in March with the Anthem 5K (25:31) and her first 10K, the Rodes City 10K (53:20). In April she completed her first half marathon, the Derby Mini Marathon (2:08:31), and in May the McDowell Wellness Center 10K (51:48, 3rd age and PR), the Heart of KY 5K in June (25:42, 2nd age, beating last years’ time by over a minute), the Bluegrass 10K (53:20) the Whitaker Bank 5K (25:33, 1st Master Trophy and beat last year’s time by close to 30 seconds), and the Run for Independence 5K in July (24:57, tied PR from a separate race last year). In August, she ran the Midsummer Night’s Run (25:14) and in September she ran the YMC A 5K (24:46, 1st age and PR). Her last race thus far was the CASA 10K (50:52, 2nd age and PR). In addition to her regular track workout attendance, Debbie participates in the weekly runs, socials, and club meeting.
