News for final week
Eisenhower Marathon

Seeing a new high number of runners preregistered, Abilene’s Eisenhower Marathon had 495 runners ready to participate in the marathon, half marathon, 5K and 10K races, as of Thursday afternoon. Runners are traveling from 37 states across the United States to run in the seventh-annual event, April 11, with added runners joining from Canada.

Returning with a strong determination to gain his 4th win at the Eisenhower, Colorado runner Gannon White plans to lead the field.

“This is my race,” White said, “and no one is going to take it away from me.”

White expressed appreciation for the support spectators have given him in the Abilene area.

“Those people who come to the end of their driveways and cheer for us along the highway are such motivators,” White said. “I can’t believe they know my name and cheer for me individually. They are great people!”

White will be joined by John Volkman from California who has run 95 marathons in 43 states and Joe D’Angelo, Colorado, who at age 75 is running his 110th marathon. Also on the course will be Randy Maugle, 54, Pennsylvania, who will run the Eisenhower as his 46th marathon with Kansas being his 40th state.

Many runners are returning to participate in the Eisenhower once again, such as Chris Johnson, 59 from Illinois who is running in the Eisenhower Marathon for his 6th year and Michael Allen, Salina, who is running his 4th Eisenhower.

“I’m doing my 33rd marathon and have run five Pikes Peaks,” Allen said, “and I’ve covered 10 states in 31 years of running.”

An area favorite among returning runners for the Eisenhower is Abilene’s Maurice Flynn, 55, who has run all marathons offered in his home town. Flynn will join other Abilene marathoners Derek Lipson, 41, who is running his first marathon, Leo Rutten, 65, in his 111th marathon, and R.H. Viola host family member Jon Gose, 37, in his first marathon attempt.

Gose, who has run the shorter races many times, is joined in the marathon by a seasoned Viola family marathoner, Duke Dana, 68, from Marshfield, MO. Dana has finished four Eisenhower races, in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Several husband and wife teams will participate in the various races Saturday, such as Ryan Yedlinsky, from Lansing, KS, who is running his first marathon. Yedlinsky, whose wife Nicole plans to run the half marathon, will be deploying to Iraq for the third time at the end of the year.

Husband and wife, Brad and Marla Rhoden, Topeka, will both run in the marathon, with Marla, at age 53, being the strongest contender to win the woman’s division, having nabbed the female title in Abilene in 2004.

Other family teams include Ben Dolezal from Texas who is running his first marathon with his brother Adam, who is hoping to post a 3 hour 10 minute finish. Phil Perrone, Nebraska, will run the marathon while daughter Stephanie is entering the half.

Some runners describe themselves as being obsessed with running, such as Daniel Galioto, 34 from New Jersey.

“I ran my first 5K and 2006, my first marathon in 2007 and now I’m obsessed with qualifying for the Boston,” Galioto said. Several others are members of the Marathon Maniacs club, often running in several marathons within brief time periods.

“We will have runner lists available for the public inside Parish Hall that will detail the runners entered as of April 6, where they are from, and their running bib number,” Eisenhower Marathon race director Joyce Viola Dana said.  “We won’t be able to list all runners as we might register from 60- 200 participants on Friday and Saturday before the races begin.”

Spectator maps are also available in Parish Hall, 311 S. Buckeye, showing where the public may travel to watch various parts of the marathon race, with favorite spots being in Brown’s Park and at Rural Center School.

Marathon and half-marathon races begin at 7 a.m. this Saturday, with 5K/10K races at 7:30 a.m.  The Community Walk begins at 9 a.m. and the children’s races will begin at 11 a.m.

Members of the public are invited to attend the pasta dinner on Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. in Parish Hall, and the pancake and sausage brunch Saturday morning from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Tickets may be purchased at the door.

More than a dozen non-profit organizations will benefit from the revenue generated by the event.

 “Our Viola family’s goal is to assist those agencies who are serving needy individuals and families in Dickinson County,” Dana said.  “That is the entire motivation behind our family’s organization of the Eisenhower Marathon and we enjoy our annual effort of helping those people in need right here in our county.”

Awards for the various races will be scattered throughout the morning as runners in each area finish running, with 5K awards beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Parish Hall, 10K at 9 a.m., half marathon at 9:30 and marathon at 10 a.m. or as soon as the top three overall finishers have come across the finish line.

Corporate sponsors for the Eisenhower Marathon include Brierton Engineering, Central National Bank, DS&O Electric Cooperative, Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc., the Eisenhower Foundation, KABI/KSAL Radio, Land Pride (a division of Great Plains Manufacturing), Pinnacle Bank, the R.H. Viola family, Warren Wilson Hay, Inc, and Wilson Transport, Inc, with many local businesses sponsoring other event needs.