To the editor:

First of all I would like to congratulate our Editor Sara Clifford and sons Caleb and Henry on completing your very first 5K! Your summary of your experience was wonderful; it made me chuckle and happy inside. We can’t wait to hear how you do next year with some training!

I would like to thank all of the people and businesses that made the 3rd Annual Hilly Half held on Saturday, Nov. 10 a great success. We had 775 participants and over 100 volunteers brave the 20-degree morning! It was a beautiful Brown County fall day. The leaves were falling like snowflakes and the views were once again stunning. The entire course is in the Brown County State Park, beginning at the saddle barn/lower shelter and winding up Saddle Barn Road, past the Aynes House, the park office, fire tower, campground and the Nature Center. The course is an out and back, so racers get to head back to the Lower Shelter House for the Big Woods Post-Race Party. Thank you to Brown County State Park for allowing us to take over the entire lower shelter house, saddle barn and north gate area. Doug Baird and Kevin Snyder have been gracious hosts! The Hilly Half wouldn’t be what it is without letting us enjoy the hills and vistas of the park as our course.

The Hilly Half has taken on a life of its own and the amount of support, time and energy is simply overwhelming. I would like to thank the core group of organizers. You each bring your own skill set and we wouldn’t be successful without you! Thank you Susan Armstrong, Bob Blass, Brian Fenneman, Chris Henderson, Rex Watters, DeAnne Weaver and Carol Zapapas. We are already working on next year.

Thank you to Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau Commission once again for your financial and people support. It has been a pleasure working with Jane Ellis and CVB staff to market the race and Brown County. I look forward to growing our attendance and bringing more people to visit our county.

Thank you to the Brown County Democrat for the wonderful print coverage and featuring the Hilly Half in the winter Almanack. Thank you to Ron Gallagher for our wonderful website, hillyhalf.com.

Thank you to Ann Woods for creating our custom one of-a-kind overall winner awards. Thank you to White River Running Company in Columbus for gift certificates to winners and bag stuffer coupons.

Thank you to Greg Wright for leading the runners through the course on his bike.

Thanks to Mike and Mitzie Salem of Good Nature Farm for use of their box truck for gear check.

Thank you to all of our sponsors: Big Woods, Brown County Convention & Visitors Bureau, IU Health, PNC Bank, Rick and Karen Fuson and The Pacers, Columbus Regional Health, PNC Bank, Bear Hardware, Lucas Oil Motorcycle, Commercial Services, Stifel Endeavor Investment Group, Hills O’Brown Vacation Rentals, Peaceful Valley Construction, Weaver Fine Furniture, ISU the May Agency, Brown County MIBOR, Circle K, SCI REMC, Jackson Connect, Duke Energy, HomeAdvisor, Subway, Life is Good, Abe Martin Lodge, Indiana Timing, Brozinni’s/Seward Party Rental, Nashville McDonald’s, Brown County IGA, White River Running Company, Perfect Timing, OORNJ and ROAT.

Thank you to Big Woods/Hard Truth Hills/QuaffON! The beer mile, music by Kenan Rainwater, custom pint glasses, breadsticks, WTTS and the post-race party all add to the overall greatness.

Thank you to Abe Martin Lodge for providing and serving hot soup on a cold, cold day to over 800 people. You warmed a lot of souls. Thank you!

Thank you Kevin Ault and The Seasons for baking us 2,000 cookies!

Thank you Ryan Seward and Seward Party Rentals for donating tent, tables and chairs; thank you to McDonald’s for providing the over 100 volunteers hot coffee and muffins. Thank you to Curt Winders and Jeff Niewedde; the course setup and timing was spot on!

Special shout-out to Susan Armstrong, Corey Frost and Chris Henderson. You made sure every participant was safe and were well prepared for any kind of emergency situation. We were in good hands. Thank you! Our athletes were under the watchful eyes of Keith Baker, Andrea Baker, Dan Owen and Mike Rogers while running the roadway. Our volunteer fire departments provided several services! Thank-yous go to Mike and Mary Fouch and Mike Leavitt from Cordry Sweetwater FD; Doug Payne, Brian Cundiff, Chris Rudd, Jeff Marshall, Steve Payne, Wayne Freeman, Ben Miller, Nick Heiny and Brad Lovins from Southern Brown FD; Dia Goodrich from Fruitdale FD; and Brad Reel, Taylor Childress, Brandy Childress and Matt Roberts from Hamblen FD. There were first responders stationed at each of the five water stops, providing a safe environment at each water stop and on stand-by in UTVs. Thank you!

This event wouldn’t have happened without the following amazing volunteers who braved the frigid weather on race day: Carol Bell, Ross Berryhill, Madison Bickley, Bob Blass, Sam Bowman, Peter Bowman, Kelli Bruner, Jennifer Carlin, Emily Crase, Evey Crimmins, Cassidy Davis, Mekenzie Dunnuck, Sue Engledow, Marilyn Fagg, Rhett Fagg, Debbie Farabaugh, Holly Farabaugh, Ryan Farabaugh, Christian Feikama, Brian Fenneman, Darla Fenneman, Marie Fields, Sara Fishel, Skylar Fleischman, Michelle Fravel, Lauryn Gooch, Roger Grissette, Abigail Hollander, Aubrey Hollander, Kenny Holsclaw, Zelton Kay, Shea Keller, Debbie Kelley, Tim Kelley, Wayne Koester, Baelyn Koester, Joanne Koester, Tony Krug, Chloe lee, Danny Leffler, Peg Lindenlaub, Pam Loveless, Rachel Lovins, Jackson McPheeters, Jessie Meranda, Lydia Miller, Jeff Mooney, Betsy Parman, Dennis Parman, Heather Powell, Matt Powell, Susan Randall, Maggie Redmond, Judy Reeves, Caly Rice, Bill Robinson, Kim Robinson, Quincy Robinson, Herb Ross, John Slater, Kamyrn Smith, Molly Speaks, Doreen St. Clair, Lexi Stadler, Lilli Stadler, Lisa Stadler, Hannah Stephenson, Allison Stogsdill, Emma Summers, Katy Trapp, Ken Umphrey, Summer Watson, Allison Watters, Rex Watters, Rex Watters IV, Ryan Watters, DeAnne Weaver, Rob Weaver, Greg Wright, Tammy Yacchari, Kathy Yeager and Carol Zapapas!

Oh Hill Yes!

Thank you,

Kim Robinson, CEO, Brown County YMCA/race director

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