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RTR – The Early Years The first Run Through Redlands was held on March 25th,
1984 as a result of merging the Redlands
Community Hospital's “Run for
Life”, the Redlands Daily Facts' “5k & 10K” and the Kiwanis Club's
“5K & 10K Run”. The
“Run for Life” was the most ambitious of the three events and included 5K,
10K and Half Marathon that had attracted about 440 entrants in 1983. According to Terry Greenberg, Editor of the Redlands
Daily Facts and first Race Director of the Run Through Redlands, “all decided
we could present a much better event for area runners if we got together”.
He went on to say that “this is something we hope we can build through
the years into the kind of event the whole town participates in – either
running or watching”. “That's what we feel is important, building a
community event, “ said Ron
Ossman, who at the time was RCH's director of development and community
relations, “and as the community's hospital, we want to be involved”. The courses used for previous runs were abandoned, but
portions of the Redlands Daily Facts course were retained in the original Run
Through Redlands Course which had it's start and finish at the Redlands Mall.
This same layout was retained until 1992, when the finish was moved to
the Redlands Bowl, to provide for an Awards Ceremony and space for post race
vendors and activities. As a result of the merger, The 1984 Run Through Redlands
became the Biggest running event in the Inland Empire,
besting the Riverside Mission Inn run by 10 participants.
In total, there
were 1261 runners, including 4 wheelchair entrants, and 110-man Marine Corps 10K
Team from Twenty-Nine Palms. Debbie Heaton, at the time ...a 35-year old Olympic
hopeful from Redlands, was the 1984 RTR overall 10K winner, with a time of
38:05. The following year during
the 1985 RTR, Heaton set the course record for the 1/2M by completing it in
1-hour, 24-min and 31-seconds.
Her 10K & half-Marathon victories gave Heaton two course records in
the first two years of the event. For
comparison, Christine Magill of Loma Linda won the women's 1/2M in 2007 with a
time of 1:31:16 and Jeff Ambos of Riverside won the 2007 men's 1/2M with a time
of 1:17:24.
During
the 80's while stationed at Norton AFB, Debbie and her husband were active
runners. In the last year of the
RCH “Run for Life, in 1983, she was the winner
the women's 1/2M. Her career in the Air Force afforded her the time and
opportunity to run Cross-Country in Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan,
and in 1985 in Algarve {Southern part of Portugal} where she finished 7th
in a field of 40. She and her
husband Robert followed a 7
mile-per-day training schedule that averaged out to about 70 miles each week. In a
recent phone interview, Debbie indicated that she and Bob have retired from
their Air Force, and have relocated
to Oregon where the both have gone on to other professional work.
Bob still runs, and both enjoy bicycling and other outdoor activities.
Debbie has not run competitively since 1994 due to problems with her
knees. Debbie remembered their time
in Redlands and participation in the Run Through Redlands fondly. She was amazed to learn that people here still
remembered her. |
