United Way North Idaho run sees biggest turnout to date

COEUR d’ALENE — Like many runners in Saturday morning’s Spring Dash, Elizabeth Droesch didn’t run the 5K race alone.

Droesch’s 11-year-old son, Oskar, finished the race right alongside her.

“It was tiring at first, but once you get to the finish line, it’s great,” Oskar said.

Saturday’s 5K marked Oskar’s first race after weeks of running the course along Lake Coeur d’Alene, which began and ended in McEuen Park.

“It was so much fun,” Droesch said. “We motivated each other."

The mother-son duo was among the 1,131 total racers in this year’s Spring Dash, a yearly event put on by United Way North Idaho.

Races included a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and Tot Trot.

Funds raised by the Spring Dash go to community members who are employed but remain “asset limited, and income constrained” — referred to as ALICE by United Way North Idaho.

“They are working hard but falling short of what they need to consistently cover the basic costs of living,” United Way North Idaho’s website reads. “Unable to save for the future, they are vulnerable to a single emergency that can push them into crisis and even poverty.”

Saturday’s races marked the 37th Spring Dash in Coeur d’Alene, which United Way North Idaho board of directors Johanna Brown said has grown in popularity since the pandemic.

“It’s great to see people come together and get out there for a healthy, positive reason,” Brown said.

Saturday’s Dash marked the largest Spring Dash turnout ever, Brown added.

And the winners are:

Women’s 5K

1st place: Sonja Jones, Portland, Ore. 19:29

2nd place: Gracie McVey, Hayden 21:59

3rd place: Brooklyn Caywood, Hayden 22:04

Men’s 5K

1st place: Matt Roberts, Castle Rock, Colo. 17:23

2nd place: Jon Neill, Spokane, Wash. 19:04

3rd place: Justus Mac George, Coeur d’Alene 19:04

Women’s 10K

1st place: Emalyn Bell, Saint Maries 45:18

2nd place: Ava Magers, Greenacres, Wash. 46:42

3rd place: Michelle McCullough, Post Falls 47:15

Men’s 10K

1st place: Unnamed, Spokane, Wash. 37:59

2nd place: Jonathan M., Coeur d’Alene 38:01

3rd place: Dave Schruth, Spokane, Wash. 40:42

Women’s Half Marathon

1st place: Cathlin Sentz, Moscow 1:40:43

2nd place: Becky Thompson, Coeur d’Alene 1:40:49

3rd place: Krista McNaught-Davis, Veradale, Wash. 1:45:12

Men’s Half Marathon

1st place: Drew Moreno, Pullman, Wash. 1:24:26

2nd place: Kaleb Stinson, Coeur d’Alene 1:28:27

3rd place: Eric Sawyer, Moscow 1:28:58  

    Runners celebrate as they cross the Spring Dash finish line.
  

    Johanna Brown with United Way North Idaho hands out medals to Spring Dash racers.