On Saturday, March 15, 2008, 2 nd year students of the School of Medicine hosted the 25th annual 5K as a benefit for Camp Holiday Trails. This year the start and finish outside the Student Bookstore, and featured 174 runners (and two dogs). Through donations and runner entry fees the race students raised over three thousand dollars for the local day camp.
Camp Holiday Trials , at the foot of Ragged Mountain, is committed to providing a positive camp experience for children with special medical needs and chronic illnesses and their families.
Saturday was a clear, cool morning and race time temperature was 51. After finial lace-ups and warm-ups, the starter horn blew at 9:03 AM; then just over 16 minutes later, the lead runner returned. See results below.
History of the race (from Kate Collins)
In 1983, Paul Kelly, a second year medical student from the Class of ’86 and an avid runner, approached his friend Mark Lorenzoni, owner of Charlottesville’s Ragged Mountain Running Shop with an idea. He wanted to start a tradition in the medical school, some sort of event that could unify the school and serve as a larger display of students’ commitment to the local community. His concept was a charity race, and he was looking for a cause. Lorenzoni, at the time, was serving on the board of directors for a local camp for children with special medical needs, Camp Holiday Trails, and proposed Kelly’s idea to the camp. And so in 1983, with Lorenzoni as race director and Ragged Mountain as race headquarters, Kelly led a group of second year students at UVa School of Medicine in organizing and running the very first “Luck of the Irish” 4-Miler.
Since 1983, the race has been handed down, with Lorenzoni as advisor, for successive groups of medical students to pioneer. Attendance at its peak reached over 500 runners, and it became almost an unwritten rule that all second year students would attend. While throughout the last 25 years the race has changed names, distances, and moved on grounds to attract more students, the concept has remained the same- to give medical students the opportunity to come together in one big annual project to support a local non-profit that makes a difference for people in the Charlottesville community. In 2007, under great leadership by My Tran (2009), race attendance doubled from its rainy 2006 numbers.
This year, members of the class of 2011 worked hard to continue to revitalize and carry on a tradition that started, for many, two years before they were even born.
2008 Results:
Top Female Finishers:
Greer Johnson (21:55) Angela Skeeles-Worley (22:27) Sarah Grupp (22:41)
Female Age group finishers:
Under 20 – Kelsey Grupp, Erika Yoder 20-29 – Lindsey Talor, Mairin Smith 30-39 – Leah Connor, Michele Rehan 40+ – Patricia Foley, Leah Craig
Top Male Finishers:
Adam Brunfeldt (16:15) Kevin Lucid (17:20) Brian Kayser (17:41)
Male Age Group Finishers:
Under 20 – Mike Albert, William Plews-Ogan 20-29 – Paul Hiles, Joseph Johnson 30-39 – Sean Garvey, Anthony Nappi 40+ – Mark Rubbins, Righard Young
