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Show Volume XIV Issue XVI The Ogden Valley news Page 3 June 1, 2007 Guest Commentary GOAL Foundation Expresses Their Gratitude to the Community On Sunday, May 20, the StandardExaminer provided outstanding coverage of the 2007 Zion’s Bank Ogden Marathon. Additionally, it told the story of the resulting economic impact and highlighted some of the behind-the-scenes efforts for the marathon and other events organized by the Greater Ogden Athletics Legacy (GOAL) Foundation. Whenever thousands of athletes, volunteers, sponsors, and spectators come together to pull off events like the Ogden Marathon, tens of thousands of stories result, each a compelling snapshot of this vibrant community. Those stories could Gary Kelso, Theresa Ellis, and Frosty McWilliams of Shades of Grey entertained marathon participants and supporters at the starting line of the Zions Bank Half Marathon across from Eden Park. fill volumes, but we only have these few paragraphs to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly. First, the bad and the ugly . . . A small contingent of Ogden Valley residents, apparently upset over the morning’s inconvenience of having to use one of the other two scenic drives between Ogden Valley and Ogden, decided to make their anti-marathon statement. After haggard volunteers had worked until 2:30 a.m. to set out aid station supplies for thousands of athletes, a small band of criminals took it upon themselves to upend over 130 porta-johns and steal critical water, food, and medical supplies. The same exhausted volunteers, most operating on less than two hours sleep, discovered the vandalism and theft at 4:00 a.m. and set about uprighting the porta-johns and making radio and cell phone calls to have supplies replaced. The sad thing is, we are not talking about a couple of teenagers tipping an outhouse or two before moving on to toilet papering a friend’s house. This was a premeditated, organized crime that could have had serious, even deadly, results. As temperatures on marathon day climbed into the 90’s, medical personnel administered over forty IVs and transferred four patients to the hospital with serious dehydration issues. Imagine how much worse it could have been had there not been even more good in Ogden Valley to offset the bad and the ugly. Now the good . . . Upon hearing news of the events around Ogden Valley, race volunteers rallied to transport water from the finish line to the upper portion of the course. Additionally, in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, bleary-eyed residents in Ogden Valley opened their doors to the panicked knocks of race volunteers then opened their hearts and faucets to supply life-saving water to thousands of runners. Some of those runners were local friends, neighbors, cancer survivors, and even pregnant mothers; others were strangers from other areas of the state, the United States, or even international locations who had come to experience our community. With finish line water redistributed to points along the course, race organizers rushed to Smith’s on 12th and Harrison and purchased $500 worth of bottled water for race finishers. When the Smith’s manager (an Ogden Valley resident) later learned what had happened in Ogden Valley, she put two and two together and realized why the $500 water purchase occurred at her store. She contacted race organizers and demanded that Smith’s be allowed to reimburse the GOAL Foundation. What a handful had attempted to destroy under the cover of darkness was rebuilt ten-fold in the plain sight of a bright day by an engaged, caring and now galvanized community. The Greater Ogden area has been discovered, and tourism can leave a lasting economic boost to our community—more money for schools, hospitals, parks, and pathways. Statewide tourism revenue is estimated to pay over $600 of each and every resident’s tax bill every year. Some of our guests will pass through and give us their dollars for race entry fees, hotel rooms, meals, gas, and goodies. Others may not be content to stay for only a few days, and may decide to make the Ogden area their home. With the understanding that like-minded people tend to seek each other out and congregate, we can only hope that the thousands of area residents who made signs of encouragement, rang cowbells, you who jumped in to showcase all that is great with our community remind us why we call this our home and choose to raise our children here. Elizabeth Andrew said, “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” Thank you to all Weber County residents who showed their heart and gave all of these inspired athletes the chance to challenge themselves and have an unforgettable experience in Marathon runners in Ogden Canyon. Photo courtesy of Kera Erickson. our amazing community. handed out water, and cheered runners in the heat will win out over the mindless few The Goal Foundation— who thought their actions could effectively Former Weber County Commissioner remove the “Welcome” mat this commu- Camille Cain is Vice President of the GOAL Foundation. Melisa Harrison is a nity has worked so hard to place. The GOAL Foundation needs to express member of the GOAL Board of Directors a tremendous amount of gratitude and and Medical Coordinator for the Ogden thanks. This event does not happen with- Marathon. Mike Caldwell is the President out the support of 400 volunteers; and law of the Ogden-Weber Convention & enforcement, sponsor, and community sup- Visitor’s Bureau and a member of the port we saw on Saturday, May 19. All of GOAL Board of Directors. -Public NoticeZions Bank Ogden Marathon and Goal Foundation are offering a cash reward of $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals of the Zions Bank Ogden Marathon. Anonymous tips will be taken by Deputy Mike Chatelaine at 801-395-8221. |