The Muskingum Behavioral Health (MBH) Freedom Run took place on July 4th at the Collegial Woods Trail.
All finishers received a finisher medal, and race t-shirt. The 5K Race was timed and awards were given to the top three overall male and female finishers as well as the top three male and female finishers in various age brackets (14 & under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 and up.
Walkers were also welcome for the 5K and the 1K Fetch Mile. The 1K Fetch Mile was not timed, so participants of all fitness levels, families, or those with pets could also enjoy the event, plus visit with Fetch the therapy dog.
Virtual 5K Race and Fetch Mile options were also available.
Runners from 22 cities participated this year, including Coshocton, Roseville, New Concord, Mount Perry, Duncan Falls, and Columbus, among others. The youngest participant was 11, and the oldest were 74. There were actually three 74 year olds and one 72 year old runner. All who were at least 70 clocked impressive times too, two of them placed in the top 50% overall.
The top three finishers out of the male competitors were Anthony Stidom (18) of Roseville with a chip time of 18:29.2, Caleb Tiller (14) clocked in at 20:41.3 clutching a second place finish, and in Brian Hall (40) from Zanesville snagged third with a time of 20:57.7. The guys placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall.
For the females, Olivia Bosca (14) of Alliance took the number one slot with her time of 23:03.5, second went to Evonne Saunders (42) from Zanesville with her time of 26:22.9, and Arianna Tiller (17) clocked in at 26:52.2, sealing the third place finish. The women’s overall rank ended up being 4th, 10th, and 12th, respectively.
The top three to compete in the male 14 and under group were W. Saunders, M. Phillips, and Noah Boyd, placing 9th, 70th, and 25th overall.
For the male 15 to 19 runners, Aiden Oreilly, Camden Wickerham, and Michael Wood got the top seats with overall ranks being 6th, 11th, and 42nd, respectively.
Colton Curry, Owen Headley, and Steven Greene topped the leaderboard for the male 20 to 29 group. They each finished in the top 20, placing 7th, 8th, and 14th overall.
The 30 to 39 male group had 13th, 18th, and 81st place finishers, Aaron Reynolds, Jordan Williams, and Cameron Park.
For the male 40-something year olds, Jerome LaBatte, Bradley Bennett, and AJ Patel grabbed top positions but placed 5th, 15th, and 22nd overall.
Ron OConnor, Dave Dalrymple, and Jeff Nezbeth ranked 28th, 38th and 52nd overall but were the top three in for the males in the 50 to 59 age group.
Only two males, 60 to 69 years old took on the 5K. Joel Linnabary placed 20th overall, and Eric Tokie placed 64th.
Males 70 and over had three runners: Rod Hollingsworth, Tom Tiller, and Ray Young. They placed 27th, 31st and 46th.
For the 14 and under females, Emma Wagner was the only participant, placing in 68th place overall.
Female top placers ages 15 to 19 were Olivia Drabik, Lindsee Johnson, and Peyton Brown. Overall they earned 19th, 23rd, and 54th place finishes.
In the next category, females ages 20 to 29, the top three were Carson Chapman, Alexus Bell, and Lori Hochstetler ranked 17th, 24th, and 26th overall.
30 Something females Ashley Colvin, Karee Stemm, and Melissa Snyder placed top three in their age group and 16th, 29th, and 40th overall.
Females in the 40 to 49 group, Natalie Ludwig, Lucy Rucker, and Ashley Flautt earned 37th, 48th, and 57th out of all the competitors, but were on the top in their age bracket.
Jodi Hayes, Jennifer Miller, and Kathy Barclay captured the top three finishes in the female 50 to 59 category but placed 21st, 34th, and 35th overall.
One competitor took to the trail in the female 60 to 69 group. Cythia Shaeffer of Mount Perry placed 86th overall.
Patty Boyd was the lone participant from the 70 and over category for the women. She placed 55th overall.
All proceeds raised from the run go to MBH to support their mission to provide outstanding person-centered recovery and wellness services to individuals and our community.
MBH is located at 1127 West Main Street, Zanesville. They offer mental health counseling, substance use disorder counseling, community relations and prevention, peer support, recovery housing, an intensive outpatient program, and youth and family services. They can be found online at muskingumbehavioralhealth.com and on Facebook @MuskingumBehavioralHealth.