Platte River Fitness Series Community Health Initiative

02/01/2026

The Big10 made their football schedule announcement (finally) and we have a date for the Lake to Lake Relay! It will move to the end of September instead of October, so race date is September 26th! It's never too early to be thinking about your team!!

02/01/2026

We've come to our final award category for 2025 to conclude a very special year. As we look back, it was a year that showed continued growth in nearly every event even after 24 years, and other than the pandemic year when there were considerably fewer events and those we had were virtual, we had the largest number of finishers ever in the PRFS! Today, you'll meet the Ultimate Finishers, which means they participated in all 18 events in 2025. This takes a serious commitment, and our community is made better by their dedication and consistency! Congratulations to: Reece Foust, Jared Lage, Travis Veal, Charles Hayes, Casey Roy, Keith Hild, Jeff Bargell, Wayne Wallace, Bob Veal, David Clouatre, Jack Miettenen, Mickayla Griffiths, Autumn Schleicher, Brandi Hild, Krysti Deckert, Malinda Hayes, Linda Kramer, Renee Hahn, Allison Davis, Liz Brown, Kristy Lage, Lois Nansel, Sharon Sewald and Cheryl Uhrmacher.

01/30/2026

A couple of announcements! Tomorrow is the final day to register for the Richard Deckert Virtual Challenge. Remember, to be a Series Finisher, you must participate in the challenge. We are also taking a month off from our newsletter as we busily prepare for our 2026 race season. The PRFS newsletter will return with a March addition in your inbox at the end of February. You won't want to miss it as we feature race news and our Feb/March Athletes of the Month! If you haven't subscribed, please do! It is the best way to keep informed! Get ready, we are getting close to opening the first races!

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01/30/2026

We have 2 final categories to celebrate as we move toward spring and our first race! Today we congratulate 16 athletes who completed 16 or 17 of 18 events in 2025. This takes commitment and a healthy ambition to achieve great things. The more events an athlete attends, the more connections they make with people who share their goals. Congratulations athletes of honor: Billy Tolstedt, Jake Tolstedt, Evey Choat, Savannah Boe, Cassie Veal, Amanda Tolstedt, Nichelle Nichelson, Maria Cosme, Ronda Veal, Jordan Vigil, Matt Welch, Joyce Delgado, Nancy Deckert, Kisha Arnold, Mallory Cardona and Sarah Brooks!

01/28/2026

We are finishing up our tribute to the 2025 Points Competition awardees today. These athletes capture the attention of spectators and fellow athletes. They are healthy choices, grit, and possibility in action over the fullness of the human lifespan. We gave them their own age group a few years ago because by their sheer durability, they've earned it. Don't be fooled, however, they also hold the fire of competition in their hearts. There are 3 awardees, and today, we honor them and revere them. Our Men's 80 & Over Champion drives for several hours to get to each and every race. He often camps the night before just to make sure he doesn't miss the start. He is filled with wisdom and stories that we can all learn from. Congratulations Jack Miettinen! The Runner-Up can boast a nearly perfect streak lasting 50 years at the Nebraskaland Days Road Run. When most of his peers are taking it easy, he is pushing hard to run a race he can be proud of. Congratulations Del Vanderwerff! On the women's side, our 80 & Over Champion stands alone. She paid us a visit over the summer with her extended family, a true matriarch of a family of athletes. Congratulations Lonnie Kay Fuermiss!

01/27/2026

Our Men's 2025 70-79 Top Ten, like the women, is full of focused athletes who prove that "healthspan" is the true goal, making lifestyle choices that give us the maximum number of fabulous years. Unlike the women, however, our Runner-Up and Third Place finisher evaded the camera this year so we don't have their photo to share! Our Champion is a true athlete in all the ways. He trains as hard as anyone but also puts his athletic life in the context of a greater purpose. Congratulations Warren Cico!
Our Runner-Up is also dedicated to his own health and wellness and it definitely shows on race day! Like Warren, he runs within the context of a full life defined by purpose and vibrancy. Congratulations Bill McKay! Third Place goes to J Meyer, part of that trio of 70+ athletes who role model for all of us that the 70-79 age group is full of wise and determined athletes! Congratulations J Meyer! The remaining Top Ten are: 4th-Dick James, 5th-Mike Tighe, 6th-Larry Fisbeck, 7th-Mark Fuermiss, 8th-Rex Wallace, 9th-Fred Schlutt, and tied for 10th, Rusty Crossman and Warner Pezent!

01/26/2026

As we finish up our celebration of the inspiring accomplishments of our 2025 Top Ten Athletes, we turn to the queens of inspiration, the Women's 70-79 winners. Our 2025 Women's 70-79 Champion is aspirational as well as inspirational. She represents what a lifelong athlete looks like. She is a vibrant, strong woman who reminds us to grab opportunities rather than wait for them. Congratulations Cheryl Uhrmacher! Our Runner-Up shares those qualities that make her one of the powerful matriarchs of the PRFS. She too reminds us that when we choose to stay strong and engaged, we are capable of great things! Congratulations Barb Chamberlin. Our Third Place winner finishes the trio of these over 70 women who work, who train, who serve, who engage and who prove that age is just a number. She is a devoted volunteer whose work is the everything of the athlete incentive program beyond her prowess as an athlete. Congratulations Doris Davis! The remainder of our award winners in the Women's 70-79 age group are 4th-Sandy Adams, 5th-Mary Jane Wahlmeier, 6th-Marlene Swanson, 7th-Luann Blea, 8th-Maureen Behlke, and 9th-Vicki Fisbeck.

01/22/2026

The weather is cold outside but the talent and tenacity of the Men's 60-69 age group warm our hearts with the example they set. These men may be in an age group further down the results but they are often near the top at the finish line. Together than have decades and decades of experience that benefits the entire community. Our 2025 Men's Champion is a very familiar face, finishing at the very top of the Points Competition for a decade. He can run shoulder to shoulder with athletes 50 years his junior. Congratulations Jeff Bargell! Our Runner-Up is one of the elite running pioneers who laid the groundwork for the PRFS in the community. His ability isn't just in his speed, it is in his ability to offer a sense of belonging to everyone on race day and his willingness to continue to volunteer his time to our races. Congratulations Wayne Wallace! Third Place goes to an athlete who is dedicated to his fitness and to being that reliable, familiar, encouraging face that makes our competitors feel like they are welcome. He accepts a new challenge and encourages others to do the same. Congratulations David Clouatre! The remaining Top Ten include: 4th-Bob Veal, 5th-Humberto Gutierrez, 6th-Larry Wallace, 7th-Steven Lynch, 8th-Bob McKain, 9th-Jim Gonzales, and 10th-Mark Cullinan. Way to go guys!

01/21/2026

We are moving into the age groups where the aperture of an athlete begins to change, sometimes without notice. The women of the 60-69 age group, to be sure, are competitive and driven. They also look through a bigger lens, adjusting their focus to what really matters most. Health, community, connection. These women are wise, especially wise enough to adapt. They are a community of wise women within a greater community. Our Champion personifies this idea of being driven to compete and at peace with what that looks like from the solid ground of purpose. You have met her as our Women's Overall Third Place winner in 2025, and here she shines again. Congratulations Kristy Lage! Our Runner-Up exudes positive energy and an outlook that is as important to health and wellbeing as is physical activity. This is where the wisdom is, and she is a standard bearer for vitality and strength. Congratulations Lois Nansel! Our Third Place star is grounded in the idea of persistence. She exudes the idea that real strength is not flashy or showy, but a steady and true effort to do your best. Congratulations Sharon Sewald! The remaining Top Ten are: 4th-Joyce Delgado, 5th-Monica Lynch, 6th-Lynn Lupomech, 7th-Nancy Deckert, 8th-Ronda Veal, 9th-Sue Mulligan and tied for 10th-Cathy Poppe and Dee Tuenge. Carry on wonder women!

01/20/2026

Today, we're toasting the 2025 Men's 50-59 Top Ten. These athletes know how to work. They work at their jobs, they work hard to share a good life with their families and they work very hard at testing themselves, not in comparison to each other as much as testing themselves against the version of themselves that could just as easily stay on the couch. Our Champion Scott Letourneau had some big goals at a time when he could be coasting. Scott isn't wired that way. He took on the 70.3 Ironman and the PRFS challenge, excelling at both! He continues to push and test himself, readying himself for challenges ahead. Congratulations Scott! Our Runner-Up can move from working in the farm fields to running down the road with the well-earned ability to maximize every strength and use every asset. He is a steady presence in an age group that can sometimes be under represented. Congratulations Troy Hahn! Profound apologies to our Third Place winner, Derek Haines! We tried and tried again to find this amazing athlete, fairly new to the PRFS, in our photo arrays to no avail. While we don't have a photo, one thing is for certain, he is a new fitness family member that is a valued part of the PRFS! Derek, if you email a photo, we'll get it here! Congrats to the remaining Top Ten: 4th-Chadd Kohn, 5th-Ben Cooper, 6th-Joel Jay, 7th-Jeff Barner, 8th-Mike L**h, 9th-Tom Staton and 10th-Aaron Boucher.