Polson Running hosts a successful Fourth of July Fun Run

The Polson Running Club had its largest-ever turnout for the Fourth Of July Fun Run in the five-year history of their event, according to event organizer Louis Brenner.

The Fourth Of July “Fun Run,” which began at St. Joseph Medical Center, generated over 200 canned food items for the Polson Food Pantry, Brenner said.

The Fourth of July “Fun Run” included some of the top-tier runners in the Mission Valley including former Ronan standout cross country runner Jackson Duffey, and current Rocky Mountain College runner, who led the majority of the run.

The woman’s field included current Polson standout cross country runner Bea Frissell, who recently captured first place in the 1,600-meter distance event in track.

“We love having an elite field but this race is about families celebrating together,” Brenner said. “We had several large families and they are all celebrating together. We had grandparents running with grandchildren, kids in strollers, and kids with dogs.”

Brenner said the race has a “big city feel.”

“It’s a unique small town race in that has a big city feeling as you run down the street lined with several rows of people cheering and awaiting the parade,”Brenner said. “Runners really fed off the energy.”

Brenner, and his wife (Lauren) said they were “pleased” with the outcome of the race.

“Lauren (my wife) and I were very pleased with the race,” Brenner said. “It was one of our largest groups in the last five years. “The race was not officially competitive. There were no official results. However, there is a flock of runners that love to race. There were a decent dozen or so guys that ran very fast, under or around five minutes.”

The Polson Running Club’s next race will be “The Run 4 The Pits Skyline Climb 5K Race” on July 21 at Glacier Brewing Company. For participants interested in racing, they can apply at runsignups.com.