It was cool and crisp in the early hours of the New Year on Friday, a thin sheet of ice glittering on Klineline Pond and a sharp breeze occasionally blowing. But the cold and wind, as it so often fails to do so, couldn’t intimidate about 130 runners from kicking off 2016 on the right — and left — foot.
For 43 years, the Clark County Running Club has been hosting its annual Hangover Run on New Year’s Day, this year a 3-mile jaunt in and back on the paved trails of Salmon Creek Regional Park.
“Everyone wants to start off the new year doing more exercise,” club president Russ Zornick said.
It’s also one of the key fundraisers for the club, along with the annual Vancouver Lake Half Marathon later this month that supports college scholarships for student athletes, and the Turkey Trot every November.
Temperatures hovered around freezing as the crowd of runners bounced on their heels, stretched and jogged back and forth across the parking lot to stay warm.
Dan Donovan, 50, was among those huddled near the starting line in the minutes before the race began. Though he prefers half-marathons, the Clark County Running Club member said he’s been doing the Hangover Run for years — though not hung over Friday, he said.
“It’s just a good way to start off the year,” Donovan said.
Dan Nehnevaj, 18, ran cross country throughout his high school career at Columbia River High School, and is now on the Clark College team. He’s training to run 10K races and has to run every day anyway, he said.
“Might as well do it in company today,” he said.
Running on New Year’s Day has been a tradition for 27-year-old Jenni Denekas, though she usually starts the year doing the annual First Run in Portland, which starts at midnight.
“I’ve always thought it was ironic to screw up my sleep schedule,” Denekas said.
Denekas said she’s hoping to spend the year taking care of herself, getting better sleep, reading more books and, most pertinently, doing more races.
“It just seemed like a good way to get things going,” she said.
