Spokane puts best foot forward for Bloomsday

Bloomsday 2010 certainly had its share of big moments from world-class athletes.

The ridiculously swift Lineth Chepkurui, of Kenya, made headlines around the globe in setting a world record while capturing the women’s division for the third straight year. She says this is her favorite race and that Doomsday is her favorite hill. Peter Kirui, of Kenya, took the men’s division in his first Bloomsday race.

Wheelchair winner Jordan Bird, of Tucson, Ariz., won for the fourth straight time by averaging about 17 miles per hour in zipping through the course in 26 minutes. It helped that he had dropped 40 pounds over the past four months, but he was also hit by a car while training only three weeks ago. Amanda McGrory, of Champaign, Ill., also won for a fourth straight year in the women’s wheelchair division.

Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson, now 54, has seen a lot in her career as an elite marathon competitor, but she is still impressed with the race and its positive atmosphere. After completing her run, she returned to the course to watch others.

“It’s just incredible, an all-inclusive event. I think it should be a model for all major cities – not so much the competitive piece at the front end, although that is very exciting, with the elite athletes and wheelchair athletes,” she said.

The classic image of Bloomsday is the overhead shot of 50,000 people surging through downtown. But like the 33 races before it, the smaller snapshots are what linger on. Contestants in zany attire. Roadside attractions that make every step interactive. The reunions of friends and families.

About 60 runners have run every Bloomsday race. This year, they started as a group. Thousands more ran or walked the hilly course for the first time. All were treated to memorable sights and sounds.

The choir of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral sang an African chant, which must have been inspirational for the elite Kenyan runners who typically dominate the front of the race. Firefighters kept cups of water replenished. Kids sold lemonade to parched competitors battling Doomsday Hill.

And everywhere runners were energized by strangers’ high-fives and shouts of encouragement. More than 50,000 people crossed the finish line this year and most of them were smiling.

The event thrives on cooperation and perspiration. The fact that the entire community embraces the race helps make it memorable, but a special thanks goes out to the legions of volunteers. They take a simple race and turn it into a superior event without putting on airs.

Bloomsday is Spokane at its finest.