WHITEHALL — The RunIt 5K continued to grow this year, with a rise from 421 sign-ups a year ago to 513. Of those, 461 were listed as finishers at the race timers' website, adventuresignup.com.
Among those speaking prior to the race was Bridget Knapp. Knapp is the mom of Ava Vanderstelt, who is honored at the 5K each year and in whose memory Hope Squad chapters sprang up in Whitehall and Montague over the past few years, funded in part by proceeds from this annual race.
And the impact being made in her name is beginning to extend beyond the White Lake area. White Lake fire chief Pete McCarthy announced during the pre-race festivities that Ava Vanderstelt scholarship monies have grown to such a degree that Hope Squad chapters are being planned in surrounding school districts as well.
Jenna Sorensen of White Lake Nutrition, which plays a big part in running each year's RunIt 5K, said a specific district has not yet been picked, but that funds are being set aside for whichever district near the White Lake area chooses to launch a chapter. Local counselors' feedback and mental health statistics from districts in Muskegon and Oceana County led to the decision to spread the message of Hope Squad even further.
The race saw a big spike in sign-ups last year when a color run was added to the event, another way to pay tribute to Vanderstelt. The bright colors spread all over the White Lake Chamber & Visitor's Bureau parking lot - and, once the race got underway, upon many of the runners themselves - were a way to showcase the positive atmosphere the race aims to bring.
The now traditional pre-race color cloud that was thrown in the air above the assembled gaggle of runners took place at a pre-selected moment during the song "Best Day of My Life" by the American Authors, which was Vanderstelt's favorite tune. Throughout the race route, volunteers gathered to provide periodic douses of color dust to those who chose to receive it, with some runners enthusiastically signaling to let them have it.
"It really contributes to mental health being the whole theme of it," Sorensen said. "It gives it a more hopeful feel, which is really what we are trying to do."
Sorensen added that she heard nothing but positive feedback from participants in the race and that it has quickly grown into something community members are excited to make part of their summer schedule.
"It's becoming something the community is fully supporting. It's becoming a tradition," Sorensen said. "I had some customers mention that it's something everybody gathers for in the summer. Our community is rallying behind mental health for students, and we're hoping to make it bigger every year."
Many current and former area athletes ran in the race, and former Whitehall Viking runner Andre Richmond earned the top spot with a time of 15:03.6, a full 43 seconds faster than last year's winning time by his old teammate Carter McIlroy, who finished fifth this year. Current Viking Bobby Jazwinski was second, followed by Cooper Trout of Indianapolis and Whitehall Class of 2025 runner Stewart Waters.
Kayce Rypma of Grand Rapids was the top finishing female runner and finished eighth overall with a time of 18:52.1, and Whitehall cross-country and girls track coach Jeff Bassett was the best finisher north of age 30 for the second year in a row, placing 11th overall. Former Montague athlete Owen Raeth and incoming Whitehall freshman athlete Ian Dennis were also part of the top 10.
