Monsters Allowed on the Trail

On October 21st, we hosted our 4th Monster Dash 5k and it was a great success. Before the day of the event, 81 people already registered for this fun run/walk. Apparently, the word got out! Add another 14 people that morning, and we had 95 people registered.

A big change for this year was to have the whole 3.1 mile course on the Rountree Branch Trail. If you might recall, the past fun runs used Mound View Park as the start and finish, which included crossing Mitchell Hollow Road and needing assistance from the Platteville Police. For 2023, the new start/finish was on the trail near the fish garden by Valley Road. We simply measured half of the 5k distance to the trail junction by the gazebo behind Menard’s as the turnaround point. We also used the City garage’s parking lot for everyone’s vehicles.

The overall winner was Ryan Varoski, a 19-year-old man that averaged under 7 minutes-a-mile with a 20:34 time. You can see all the results below, but please remember, this is a fun run/walk, so the costumes were also part of the fun. Three participants were recognized for their outfits, as well. Like Jarrod Fuller with a blow-up cow costume (that he somehow ran the course under 26 minutes!). A pair of “steampunk” ladies (Pam & Susan Degenhardt) came dressed to impress, too. The overall favorite was “Dead Lasso” by Steven Winger.

A special thank you goes out to Rob Serres who donated his run knowledge, time and effort. Please recognize the Platteville School District for allowing us to use the timing equipment, too. A loud thank you to the Rountree Art Gallery for letting us borrow their portable PA system as well.

The Monster Dash committee consisted of Bob Hundhausen, Spider Fromader, Dianne Jentz, Brian Lauffenberg, Dave Carnahan, Jamie Klein, Kevin Podstawa, Clay Schaffer & Don Francis. Overall, the committee was pleased with this year’s Dash, especially since it’s a fundraiser for the PCA and it raised about a thousand dollars more than expected. Of course, we know we can improve our event. So, if next year’s run uses the same course, the committee will remember to place a port-a-potty and garbage cans at the finish, along with having volunteers to assist for a more organized parking area. Otherwise, we will entertain ideas for different swag bag giveaway items, different courses, and how, when and where we advertise for the 5th Monster Dash.