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CIGs Race 2007
Saturday April 7
The Cigs Race 2007 has come and gone, and what a privilege it was to work with my son Ray as Co-Director of this year’s event. Ray will be leaving our community this summer, and this was most likely the last chance we will have for this kind of thing. Ray has been a training partner, a pit crew member and an event volunteer, not to mention all of the hours he has had to listen to his dad go on and on about running and stuff.

The Cigs Race drew its support this year from the Columbia Track Club, Show Me State Games, The MU Healthcare Wellness Initiative, B&B Bagels and the Postal Annex. These sponsors were attracted to the unique concept of a race pitting runners in categories of whether or not they are or ever have been cigarette smokers. They were also drawn to the fact that all the net proceeds will be donated to smoking-related disease research through The University of Missouri, Columbia’s School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine.

One factor that made this year’s event so exciting was the support provided by Michael Denehy and Off Track Events. They provided a web site for the Cigs Race, promotional materials, graphic design and announcements promoting the Cigs Race and Health Fair. Many competitors were attracted by the efforts of Denehy and his crew. The t-shirt design is very stunning and will advertise for next year's event.

A big hit of the 2007 event was the hand crafted art work of local artist Jennifer Jensen. The theme of the trophy series is the colloquialism of the cigarette being referred to as a coffin nail. This year Jensen really set a standard by producing leaded glass coffin lids embellished with a coffin nail and lead vine work representative of the tree of life that grows stronger as an ex-smoker remains smoke free. With finishing places for the three categories of smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers and then providing for gender-specific first and second places, there are a total of 13 overall place trophies that includes one for the first place walker. For Jennifer to have donated all of the time and effort to produce these works of art speaks volumes of how supportive she is to the cause of smoking cessation.

Having told of the pillars upon which this year’s event laid a memory no one there will forget there is one more thing I meant to say. I want to thank all the booth participants. There were six booths this year, Ped Net, Fit For Life, The Mayor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness, The Health Connection, Missouri Sports Massage Team and American Lung Association. A lot of hard work and sacrifice go into bringing a booth to a health fair. Not only did these people do that, but many walked the event and donated to smoking related disease research.

With the event being early April with temperatures hovering around freezing, you can count on the fact that only the most seasoned runners knew that they would be here. There were veterans of the Cigs Race competing as well. The Columbia Track Club provided for the timing and results, and the volunteers had to weather the cold. I can't say thank you enough to my friends who volunteered to help. All these folks really made this event special. What I meant to say is this, "what an honor to have been with these people on this day -- a day I will cherish the memory of for the rest of my life"
--Jim Linville, Race Director

PlaceNameCategoryTimeStatusAward
1Andy Emerson1 M 36-4025:12:00Non-smoker1 M NS
2Phil Schaefer1 M 46-5025:33:00Non-smoker2 M NS
3Brett Barton1 M 31-3526:41:00Non-smoker
4Jaira Grathwohl1 F 26-3029:15:00Non-smoker1 F NS
5Neville Davis1 M 56-6029:43:00Non-smoker
6Norman Cox2 M 36-4030:02:00Non-smoker
7Mike Denehy2 M 31-3530:35:00Non-smoker
8Jerome Venteicher1 M 21-2530:39:00Non-smoker
9Joe Love1 M 41-4530:41:00Non-smoker
10Hugh Emerson2 M 46-5030:49:00Non-smoker
11Lisa Wells1 F 41-4530:58:00Non-smoker2 F NS
12Steve Kullman3 M 46-5031:30:00Ex-smoker1 M ES
13Richard Nistendirk1 M 66-7032:42:00Non-smoker
14Terry Stock2 M 56-6033:01:00Non-smoker
15Peggy Horner1 F 46-5034:06:00Non-smoker
16Mike McKown1 M 51-5534:51:00Non-smoker
17Randall McMillen3 M 56-6037:12:00Non-smoker
18Jim O'Dell1 M 61-6537:12:00Ex-smoker2 M ES
19David Crews2 M 61-6537:29:00Non-smoker
20Jan Ivey2 F 46-5037:44:00Ex-smoker1 F ES
21Adrian Ang1 F 31-3539:19:00Ex-smoker2 F ES
22Jim Schadt4 M 56-6039:20:00Ex-smoker
23Adrianna Alioto1 F 13-1541:09:00Non-smoker
24Christina Morian3 F 46-5044:08:00Non-smoker
25Dustin Duff1 M 0-1248:11:00Non-smoker
26David DuffM 46-5048:22:00Ex-smoker
27Linda Vogt1 F 56-6048:25:00Non-smoker
28Elsie Allison1 F 36-4048:48:00Non-smoker
29Nancy Giofre2 F 41-4548:49:00Non-smoker
1WBenjamin LeeM21:17Non-smoker1 W
WAndrea L. AllenF 56-60-Non-smoker
WNikki LeeF 26-30-Non-smoker
WE. Ann HosmerF 56-60-Non-smoker
WJerry DenehyM 61-65-Non-smoker
WDarrin CalvinM 36-40-Non-smoker