Columbia is a great fitness town. I have done several stories about our local trail system, which is simply outstanding, within the city and how it connects with the state wide trail network. I run on those trails at least one time a week. There is also an active fitness culture, and a fantastic running community. The annual Turkey Trax, held on Thanksgiving morning, is just one example of the many running events that are held here. Probably over one a week on the average.
This past Thanksgiving I ran in my second Turkey Trax here in Columbia. Although it was a very cold morning hundreds of runners showed up for this great annual event. Ultramax Sports sponsors this race and their events are always well organized. A calendar of events they are sponsoring is available online. Last year the event was held at Rockbridge High School, but this year the event was moved to downtown. I ran this event with some family members and we had a great time. You can find that story at my other blog Running Ugly.
This is me, number 1677, two of my daughters, and my favorite son-in-law. It is fun to be active and healthy as a family.
A crowd shot of the finish line.
The announcer that cheered people on. You can see how well organized the event was. Registration proceeded without a hitch right up to the start and EVERYBODY got a t-shirt.
Another shot of the finish.
Why pictures of the bathrooms? Because it is important and you know that if you have ever raced. There were FOURTEEN bathrooms for this event and I did not see a single person having to wait their turn. I was very impressed.
Pies, and yes they were all kosher (I checked) for people who placed. I came in sixth in my age division so I went home hungry.
The Columbia Ultramax Sports store located on Broadway downtown.
The pictures are a bit blurry. I used an iPhone but I have one of those waterproof cases. The area around the lens gets obscured with dust and lint.
The running community is backed up with one of the best running clubs in America for a city our size. The Columbia Track Club is active and puts on a lot of its own events, while helping with many others. It also sponsors an annual summer track event for kids. The Calendar of events, including training runs for the Columbia Track Club is available online. Tryathletics is a local small business that is also very much involved, and giving, to the community. I would be remiss if I did not mention them.
Shelter Insurance is famous for its five acre garden and many weddings, picnics, and ordinary day outings have utilized that beautiful space. Also, the park is the setting for the annual garden concert series which celebrated 33 consecutive years this summer. Less well know is the fountain.
I have been taking my kids to that fountain for nearly twenty five years. That time period spanned my life as a young father in college to a working professional teaching at Columbia College lucky enough to have two kids left at home. Usually we will get ice cream and go sit and watch the fountain and we are almost never alone. When I took these pictures I was there for about an hour and during that time at least twenty people had come and gone before I left. It is also a nice place to talk and the sound of the water, besides being relaxing, conveniently makes eavesdropping nearly impossible.
Although many people just drive by I urge you to stop in and park and enjoy the fountain while perhaps starting a new family tradition.
One thing about the harsh economic times is that it provides us an opportunity to rethink how we live, spend our money, and utilize the time we have on this earth. Sometimes you don't have to travel far to find sights to see and things to do.
During my lifetime a lot of things have changed in Columbia. I am thankful that the Shelter Garden and fountain are not among the things I love that have disappeared. Thanks to Shelter Insurance not only for providing jobs but also a wonderful aesthetically pleasing addition to our community. All corporate entities should be such good neighbors.
If you are driving by on West Broadway some evening, during the season when the fountain is on, do yourself a favor and stop for awhile.
