What's old is new again in the Amazing Charity Race
You're going to hear the word "awesome" a lot
Loveland, Ohio - In this exclusive to Loveland Magazine, the Amazing Charity Race board announced today its ten year anniversary event, and return to Loveland in 2015.
The Amazing Charity Race is particularly grateful to Jeff Wright of the City of Milford and Larry Fronk of Miami Township for their support over the last two critical years and looks forward to including those communities making the Amazing Charity Race a regional event.
"Our new logo will include Loveland, Milford and Miami Township" said Doug Portmann. "It will be so exciting to go back in Loveland's Nisbet Park to celebrate our ten year anniversary. We have raised a half million dollars for charity and made many great Father's Day Weekend memories." Portman is founder of the event and Race Director.
We plan on doing a special Ten-Year Anniversary Finishers Medal as well as some special surprises for those teams that have done all ten races." said Portmann. The 2015 event will be held on June 20, 2015.
In 2012, the Loveland’s Amazing Race board of directors decided to hold the event in Miami Township and the City of Milford in 2013, leaving the Historic Downtown Loveland, after seven years. Ten days before the 2012 race, former, Loveland city manager Thomas Carroll refused to issue the necessary special event permit unless either the Race Board give the city $5,000 for the permit, or Race Board Member Martin Schickel sell a piece of prime real estate to the city for the Loveland Station development project. Carroll e-mailed a demand letter to Schickel, requesting $5,000 for his signature on the permit. Carroll said, “If not, the event shall be cancelled this year.”
The event was almost cancelled that year. Portman said at the time, that his board talked about what it would mean if the Race was cancelled. He said, “My biggest thing is that we are trying to get a race off. We have people coming in from all over the country, including my own personal family coming from St. Louis.” He said he was just trying to get the race off the ground and make charities happy, make volunteers happy, and of course make the runners happy. There will be 1,000 contestants, and 500 volunteers involved."
After Loveland Magazine broke the story and it went public, the permit was finally wrestled from Carroll and the event was held as scheduled. (Read background story here: City Manager Threatens to Cancel Loveland's Amazing Race) The race organizers negotiated unsuccessfully over conditions for the 2013 race, however ultimately decided to take it to another community. They welcomed overtures from Milford and Miami Township.
Carroll resigned his position with the city immediately after last year's election when a new council majority was elected. The controversy Carroll created, moving of the race to Milford and Miami Township, and whether Carroll should remain employed, became the major concern of Loveland voters.
Sonia Smith is a local real estate agent who lives in Historic Downtown adjacent to Nisbet Park where the 2015 race will be centered. She said, "Awesome" when asked for her reaction.
Smith was seated at Julian's Deli with her husband Greg who shouted a long, "Yay." A loud applause traveled through the dinning patio, and some on the far end of thought the Reds had hit a home run. High fives went around the table of friends.
Sonia and Greg had participated in the race since its beginning, either volunteering or racing, except for last year when it moved to Milford and Miami Township. Sonia said, "We'll be back. That's so awesome."
Greg Smith said he had just asked Sonia about the race and they had speculated about whether or not the race would ever return. "I figured it would. I just didn't know. That's great. That's awesome news."
When hearing the news, Kay O'Grady slapped her hands together loudly and shouted, "Yes. Yes. I knew it would. That's Awesome. That's fantastic." O'Grady and a friend are participating in the race this year that will be held for the second year in Milford and Miami Township. She has volunteered or raced every year since the charity fund raiser began. O'Grady lives in Historic Downtown Loveland and she and her husband, Tim, own Whistle Stop Clay Works in downtown. "I thought it'd be back, but I didn't think it would be back full blast," she added. Talking about the race last year that she competed in, she said, "It was good. It was good. Being in the boy scout Camp Friendlander was so unique, because no one knew what to expect." She joked that the only negative in the return to Loveland was that she won't be able to compete, because she would volunteer at a challenge station, probably at their business. "I'm happy. That's really good. I'm just happy for the community. That's just such a major important fact for our community."
What is the Amazing Charity Race?
It is a full day of good natured competition, music and food and laughs. The race committee is laughing itself silly coming up with fun challenges. It is not a triathlon or a 5K race. It is not limited to runners or highly athletic individuals. You must be able to swim. It is a race in that it has a start and finish line but along the way it challenges the contestants in many ways. It is a fun, quirky, adventure that challenges the contestants agility, balance, coordination, strength, intelligence, problem solving skills, fine motor skills, and most important their sense of humor. You are invited whether it is to compete or join our team of over 500 volunteers so come enjoy, have a great time for a good cause and as always expect the unexpected.
This year's event
This year's Amazing Charity Race will be on Father's Day weekend, Saturday, June 14 and centered in Downtown Milford. The race course isn't released to the public or participants until the night before at a special Map Release Party. The party is on the back deck of Padrino's in Milford, from 7-9 PM on June 13.
The event is full, but several postings on Facebook offer tickets for sale and swap.
The 2014 Amazing Charity Race charities are:
- Boy Scouts of America Camp Friedlander.
- Sharefest.
- Camp Dennison Civil War Museum.
- Dozens of small grants will be made to local groups, schools, churches and teams that help put on the race.
Read about last year's event: Milford & Miami Township win Loveland's Amazing Race
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