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BLACK HISTORY MONTH McKee Southern 6 Trail Race gains new sponsors
Contestants run in one of the past annual McKee Southern 6 Trail Races. This year, proceeds from the race will go to Southern's Adventure Program Affinity Fund.
(Photo courtesy of source)
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Matthew Orquia News Editor
The 13th annual McKee Southern 6 Trail Race will be held on Sunday, Feb. 19, at the White Oak Mountain Trails. Southern Adventist University students and faculty can run the race for free, and proceeds from the race will go to Southern's Adventure Program Affinity Fund, according to the race’s website. Online registration ends on Feb. 17, but in-person registration will be available on race day.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in two categories, regular and age 50 and up, or “masters.” A $100 cash prize will be given to first place finishers, a $75 cash prize to second place finishers and a $50 Rock Creek gift card to third place finishers. The fastest male and female finishers will also be offered a pair of Salomon shoes.
The 3.4 mile course begins on Industrial Drive by the Hickman Science Center, continues run a steep climb to the White Oak Mountain Trails and is followed by a descent down the trails to finish back by Hickman. Jonathan Ziesmer, race director, said he ran the race multiple times while he was a student at Southern and fell in love with the course.
“ … You gotta work really hard in the beginning, and then you just cruise, and you can push as hard as you want for the end,” Ziesmer said.
According to Ziesmer, the race started in 2009 due to a partnership between Southern and Rock Creek, an outdoor gear store. The race initially had 200 to 250 runners, Ziesmer estimated, but numbers started to dwindle after a few years.
Rock Creek stopped sponsoring the race in 2015, and Southern continued to hold the race but stopped advertising it to the public, which led to mostly Southern students and faculty running the race, according to Ziesmer. Rock Creek returned as a sponsor this year.
Ziesmer wanted to bring the race
