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The cross country race sponsored by the Sheriff's Office raises the money for a youth day camp program.
By DAN DeWITT
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 19, 2001
SPRING HILL -- Saturday's Sheriff's 5K Challenge accomplished a lot for a first-year race, its organizers said.
It attracted a field of nearly 100, raised more than $1,000 for the county's youth, and it managed to find a relatively hilly cross country course in the middle of an area known for being flat and mostly paved.
The course, on both asphalt and sandy roads at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation on State Road 50, got good reviews -- generally -- from both the men's and women's overall winners.
"It was a good course," said Justin Catches, 21, a University of Florida student and former high school cross country runner who finished in 18 minutes, 8 seconds.
"I liked that it was cross country and we got offroad."
"Once we got on the pavement it was nice," said Fiona Courtney, 45, of Spring Hill, who ran the race in 22:09. "But the sand was a cruel joke."
Most of the postrace comments were similarly lighthearted. Loud music played, and runners helped themselves to bagels and fruit.
But the race did have a serious purpose: raising money for the sheriff's Harmony in the Streets youth program. This program is a day camp, held in Hernando County for the first time last summer, said Sheriff Richard Nugent.
"It's for children in the county who could be considered at risk," Nugent said.
The Sheriff's Office sponsored two, one-week sessions last summer, both at Powell Middle School. Next year the department plans to have three sessions: one at Powell, one near Hill 'n Dale and one in south Brooksville. The sessions cost about $5,000 each to put on; and, because they are not in the Sheriff's Office budget, the money must be raised from the community, Nugent said.
One of the purposes of Harmony in the Streets is to allow children to spend time with deputies in team-building activities. The activities range from educational to purely recreational, such as doing belly flops on a hosed-down sheet of plastic.
"The program lets the kids see deputies as human beings," Nugent said.
The race accomplished the same thing.
Nugent, who finished Saturday's course in about 27 minutes, joined several deputies running along with residents of all ages. Several were in their 70s; one was 12. And a Kids Fun Run, won by 6-year-old Katie McCarthy of Spring Hill, was available for younger children.
Sheriffs, because of their position, can become isolated from the public, said Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, who has held similar fundraising races in his county for the past five years.
"This is a way to network with people," he said Saturday. "And it's a family outing. And it's healthy. It's just a great event."