Beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Shawnee State University hosted its annual Bear Run 5k race. The race started with 267 individuals signed up to run, jog or even walk the distance and included students, student athletes from the cross country, baseball and softball teams, university alumni and local runners. Among that group, 173 of them had a recorded finishing time.
Conner Flynn, the director of the SSU cross country and track and field programs, had high hopes for the event, and they were met. Flynn said he knew that the race had been “a pretty large 5k in the area for a long time. I like to see the high schools come together while also having the Shawnee State athletes competing it in because when the Shawnee State athletes also compete and run hard, I think it’s a good look for the community.”
The race stuck to its typical route, starting just behind the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on Third Street and leading racers through the SSU parking lot to continue along the floodwall to Alexandria Point Park and back around, creating one giant loop back to the start line that would also serve as the finish line.
There was some visible concern for racers coming into the race, as there had been on and off rain throughout the day. Fortunately for all those involved, any continuous rain that was forecast to come into the Portsmouth area held off after approximately 5 p.m., allowing for a cooled-off but not perfectly ideal environment for those wanting to compete.
“I was happy the skies were mostly clear,” SSU athlete Walker Pannell said. “I did have a tough time getting traction in a few spots, though.”
While participants worked to achieve their potential with weeks or even just days of training, the race itself never had a dull moment and offered a fun night for the campus community.
