Auke Bay’s Mckie Gregory can fly like an eagle, Charter School’s Ernie Ramos soars like a falcon, and Gastineau’s Arne Ellefson-Carnes is faster than a hummingbird.
These three Juneau youth running club members and 40 of their energetic waffle-soled teammates used every ornithological analogy available on Friday afternoon as they raced a two-mile route along the bike path at Twin Lakes, past the Pioneer Home and back, in a benefit fund raiser for the Juneau Raptor Center.
“I just kept on running,” Gregory said after crossing the finish line first. “I think it is really nice to help charities.”
Ellefson-Carnes ran because he likes birds, “The Cardinal is my favorite, I really like the colors.”
The youth runners, who meet every morning or afternoon, were seeking donations to aid the raptor center’s rehabilitation efforts for injured birds. For the past two years the run at Twin Lakes was to aid diabetes research. The runners decided to run for a local charity this year.
“It’s a really good idea I think,” Ramos said. “The Falcon is my favorite because in Star Wars there is a millennium falcon.”
While the runners have been training for two months, the results are not as important as the objective, “to benefit a local charity.”
While flacons soared and eagles glided there were penguins that waddled, mergansers that scooted, and robins that darted back and forth to the finish.
“I haven’t been running for a long time,” Charter School’s Clem Taylor-Roth said. “But I like penguins and they are not very fast either.”
Keeping a watchful eye on all the runners were actual live birds from the Raptor Center on display at Twin Lakes for all to see after the race.
Gastineau school nurse Janet Capito, president of the Juneau Raptor Center, likes participating in the event because it promotes good health for the kids and benefits the birds and in appreciation the Raptor Center donated T-shirts to all the runners.
Goldbelt, Inc. donated bus rides to and from the run at Twin Lakes and Foodland A&P and Costco donated the runners nutritious snacks to ignite their performance and refreshing treats for the cool downs after.
Auke Bay P.E. teacher Charity Platt stated “It’s a great culminating activity for our runners who have been working on fitness this Spring.”
Race co-director Dirk Miller, a Physical Education teacher for Gastineau and the Charter School, hopes to raise over $500 for the Raptor Center.
“The students know this will help injured birds fly again and that has inspired the fund-raising efforts,” Miller said. “They also always have a blast playing at Project Playground with the other kids from the three schools.”
The fastest girl to complete the run, Gastineau’s Malia Miller, had a unique way of running.
“I thought about my favorite bird ever,” Miller said. “I like the owl. I like it because it is smart and has beautiful eyes.”• Contact reporter Klas Stolpe at 523-2263 or at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
