Chamber holds run to benefit pregnancy center

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

More 200 participants, both young and old, made their way up and down Ogletree Gap’s hill and through a 5k or 10k course for the 13th annual Jackrabbit Run 4 Hope.
The event is held as a fundraiser for Hope Pregnancy Center (HPC) which offers help to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancies. They offer free confidential pregnancy tests, counseling, options information, parenting classes, and more.
“Hope helps women in an unplanned pregnancy with support and counselling with options about physical help for their pregnancy,” said Brenda Titus, a former director for the HPC who volunteered at Saturday’s event. “We help women, but we also give support to the men involved in the pregnancy as well if they’re willing to come and take advantage of our services as well…Children do best when both mom and dad are involved…but always, our client, for the most part is the woman. Our services are confidential.”
Titus said it’s wonderful that the community supports the HPC and said it was nice seeing so many come together for the event.
“I think that the things that Hope Pregnancy offers women in general are very important. I think it’s a good cause,” said Rachel Kase, who heads up public relations for the chamber.  “They offer essential assistance to the community.”
Kase said about 280 people paid to participate in the run, though many signed up to donate the money but did not actually participate in the event. She said she was excited to see so many people at the starting line.
The event is part of the Cen-Tex Race Series and gave awards for the winners of both races. 
The top three finishers in the 5k were Gian Mikel Pulido with a time of 20:25, Edward Sannwaldt with a time of 21:52, and Joaquin Martinez with a time of 23:38. The fastest woman in the 5k event was Krista Masters with a time of 26:27. 
The top three finishers in the 10k event were Jason Book with a time of 36:41, Ryan Ochsner with a time of 37:55, and Corey Masters with a time of 38:10. The fastest woman in the 10k event was Felicity Cunningham with a time of 42:57.
13-year-old Gian Mikel Pulido was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 20:25. He said he ran to help him get ready for cross country season. 
“The competition makes me push myself to my limits,” said Pulido who added that he was very tired after completing the race, but proud that he finally managed a first-place finish.
61-year-old Edward Sannwaldt completed the race in 2nd place with a time of 21:52. Sannwaldt said that when he was younger, he competed in running events in both high school and college, but stopped when he joined the military. He started running again after retiring. Sannwaldt said he’s training to compete in the National Senior Games. 
“To me, [running]’s primal. It’s you against the clock, and today the elements—you know the hills and the heat,” said Sannwaldt. “You can only go so far on guts and hustle in other sports eventually size makes a difference in football, basketball. I gravitated towards running where size is not a factor.”
Sannwaldt wasn’t the only one to mention the hill, many complained about how rough the hills were after they completed the race. Though some relished the challenge. 
“This is a great run. It always is,” said Angie Wilson who finished with a time of 28:48. “Just getting over the Ogletree Gap hill is a feat in itself. That big hill is a good challenge for anybody who comes out here. Most races don’t have that kind of a hill. You have to get up it, and then you have to go back down it. Depending on who you are, going up may be the hardest, or going down might be the hardest. That hill is what makes this race special.”