Participation at Violence Free Community Run jumps to 73

The 36th annual Violence Free Community Run jumped to 73 participants Saturday in Kenai.

The run is put on by The LeeShore Center to promote healthy families and a violence-free community.

“It’s really to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault, and what our agency does,” said Cheri Smith, executive director. “It’s just a fun event where we can come out and mingle with the community.”

Formerly known as the Run for Women, the event didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. In 2022, the event went virtual.

When the event went live again, the name was changed to the Violence Free Community Run and registration was opened to men 19 and above.

“I wanted to open it up more to the community as a family event,” Smith said.

Like most events coming out of the pandemic, the Violence Free Community Run has had to build up to previous levels.

Smith has been the executive director for The LeeShore Center since 2003 and has been with the center for 30 years overall. The LeeShore Center has been open for 40 years.

According to Smith, the largest race in the event’s history had just short of 200 runners, while a typical year is anywhere from 100 to 125.

In 2023, in a raging wind, 59 runners and walkers showed up. Last year, a brutal rain limited finishers to 49. This year, an overcast sky didn’t produce much rain, and also let up for some nice sunshine.

Smith said the event is important to build awareness.

“We didn’t have as many at our shelter this last fiscal year, but they stayed longer,” she said. “There’s not a lot of housing available statewide, and so people are staying a little bit longer than normal.

“But we still did, I think, 95 women and kids and men, and close to 200 walk-in people. So, we keep busy.”

Smith said she appreciates the community’s continued commitment to the center and the race. One measure is the center received between $23,000 and $25,000 in donated prizes for the event.

“It’s wonderful,” Smith said. “We’ve been doing this for 36 years. When we reach out to them, they’re like, ‘No problem here.’”

Smith said the key to growing the race is positive word of mouth from new participants.

If Saturday’s winners are any indication, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Soldotna’s Niko Zlotnik won the men’s 10-kilometer race in 46 minutes, 57 seconds, with Soldotna’s Reese Ross second in 52:34 and Soldotna’s Hollis Swan third in 52:30.

The times given in the results are chip times, while placements were determined by the clock time, where Ross was 52:35 and Swan was 52:36 thanks to winning a spirited sprint down Main Street.

Zlotnik has lived in the area for two years and tries to do any races he can. He heard about the Violence Free Community Run just a few days before the event and signed up.

“I feel like it’s a very nice atmosphere,” he said. “Everyone was cheering for each other. There’s a lot of volunteers, and I just feel like it’s a good vibe.”

He received two round-trip tickets to anywhere Grant Aviation flies, plus a two-for-one float trip from Kenai River Drifters Lodge.

“I think I’ll definitely do it again next year,” he said.

The biggest prize went to Kasilof’s Misti Vignola for winning the women’s 10K in 49:59. Soldotna’s Anna Reese was second at 51:39, while Kenai’s Viorica Thompson was third at 51:40.

Vignola got a round trip for two on the Aurora Winter Train between Anchorage and Fairbanks, plus the same deal from Drifters Lodge.

That wasn’t the greatest thing to happen to Vignola on Saturday, though.

“It’s my first time running in years,” Vignola said. “I’ve got severe asthma, and I’ve been fighting illnesses, and I never thought I’d run again.

“By the grace of God, I have been running for about three weeks, and this is my first six-mile.”

Vignola, 53, has been in Kasilof about eight years. She started playing with running in high school and fell in love with racing as an adult in Anchorage before illness intervened.

“I got stuck a little bit, and could only run when I was healthy, and hopefully now I’m back,” she said.

She said she’s been getting great care from doctors and hopes the running continues. She’s always wanted to do marathons and half marathons.

“I told myself if I do OK in this, I’m signing up for the Kenai Half Marathon,” Vignola said. “So here I go.”

Sterling’s Morgan Aldridge, who won the women’s 5K in 23:11, is another convert to the race. Kasilof’s Dannette Petersen was second in 27:51, while Kenai’s Alice Voight was third in 32:45.

Aldridge is a frequent participant in triathlons, running races and biking races, but she’d only done this race once before this year.

She was impressed by the professional timing, course marking and prizes available for the relatively small entry fee. Ashley Blatchford, the race director, talked Aldridge into doing the event, and thanks to Blatchford only a small box could carry Aldridge’s haul from the event at the end of the day.

Aldridge said the race felt good after suffering from a bacterial infection in the tissue of her foot earlier this summer. It started when she stubbed her toe during a trail race in Hope.

“And then I was swimming at the lake, getting ready for the triathlon, and a couple days later my foot just swelled up,” she said. “It was kind of a purple color and it didn’t fit in my shoes.”

She said antibiotics got the issue under control.

“They kicked it pretty good, but it’s taken two weeks to get better,” she said.

The men’s 5K went to Sterling’s Dawson Geller, who ran 20:54. Anchorage’s Josiah Abel, last year’s champ, was second in 21:12, while Kasilof’s Hikaru Miyagi was third at 21:57.

Geller is going into eighth grade at Skyview Middle School, where he finished second in the Kenai Peninsula Borough 1,600 meters in the spring.

He followed that up in the early summer by taking third in the 5K at the Run for the River in Soldotna.

“I just wanted to run,” Geller said. “I did the last one in Soldotna, so I wanted to try this one out.”

Geller said basketball is his primary sport, but he also does track and cross-country at Skyview.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “Coming into this, I didn’t really think I was going to win.”

2025 Violence Free Community Run

Saturday, Aug. 8

in Kenai

5K Women

1. Morgan Aldridge, Sterling, AK 23:11; 2. Dannette Petersen, Kasilof, AK 27:51; 3. Alice Voight, Kenai, AK 32:45; 4. Sarah Aspens, Soldotna, AK 33:34; 5. Quinn Ross, Soldotna, AK 35:38; 6. Monica Skjold, Soldotna, AK 36:28; 7. Brandi Mangione, Kenai, AK 36:41; 8. Amy Antommaria, Greeley, CO 36:59; 9. Erica Nichols, Kenai, AK 37:24; 10. Aurora Shockley, Kenai, AK 37:34; 11. Leah Shockley, Kenai, AK 37:34; 12. Nancy Hammermeister, Kenai, AK 38:57; 13. Erin Hicks, Kenai, AK 41:47; 14. Alison Hicks, Kenai, AK 41:48; 15. Maria Sweppy, Soldotna, AK 42:45; 16. Alyssa Wood, Soldotna, AK 47:25; 17. Therese Frothingham, Kasilof, AK 52:29; 18. Amanda Standefer, Kenai, AK 52:56; 19. Susan Smalley, Kenai, AK 52:58; 20. Paula Standefer, Kenai, AK 52:59; 21. Yvonne Oren, Kenai, AK 53:19; 22. Lisa Gerrity, Luray, VA 56:31; 23. Debbie Cook, Ninilchik, AK 56:31; 24. Emily Nicholson, Kasilof, AK 57:47; 25. Emily Knight, Soldotna, AK 57:52.

26. Joanna Knight, Soldotna, AK 57:53; 27. Joy Rigby, Kenai, AK 57:57; 28. Hazel Teates, Kenai, AK 59:34; 29. Joan Seaman, Kenai, AK 59:35; 30. Julie Cruse, Kenai, AK 59:34; 31. Jennilee Beilen, Sterling, AK 59:40; 32. Shaylynn Norris, Sterling, AK 59:42; 33. Janice Nightingale, Nikiski, AK 1:00:08; 34. Rhonda McCormick, Soldotna, AK 1:00:09; 35. Mary Starrs Armstrong, Kenai, AK 1:01:07; 36. Mary Cates, Eagle River, AK 1:01:08; 37. Cecilia Borries-Strigle, Kenai, AK 1:04:00; 38. Patricia Reilly, Kenai, AK 1:04:45; 39. Andrea Reilly, Anchorage, AK 1:04:49; 40. Kathrine Girten, Anchorage, AK 1:04:47.

5K Men

1. Dawson Geller, Sterling, AK 20:54; 2. Josiah Abel, Anchorage, AK 21:12; 3. Hikaru Miyagi, Kasilof, AK 21:57; 4. Caleb Abel, Anchorage, AK 22:52; 5. Ryan Geller, Sterling, AK 24:45; 6. Mark Barbee, Ninilchik, AK 25:01; 7. Trenten Dodson, Soldotna, AK 25:21; 8. Justin Mosso, Soldotna, AK 28:28; 9. David Abel, Soldotna, AK 29:13; 10. Alan Thye, Kenai, AK 32:20; 11. Malachi Abel, Anchorage, AK 34:34; 12. Everett Nichols, Kenai, AK 35:27; 13. Luke Baker, Soldotna, AK 41:00; 14. Eric Wood, Soldotna, AK 47:26; 15. Rio Parsons, Greeley, CO 48:59; 16. Eric Parsons, Eaton, CO 52:58; 17. David Knight, Soldotna, AK 57:51; 18. Daniel Strigle, Kenai, AK 1:04:45.

10K Women

1. Misti Vignola, Kasilof, AK 49:59; 2. Anna Reese, Soldotna, AK 51:39; 3. Viorica Thompson, Kenai, AK 51:40; 4. Abigail Clapp, Soldotna, AK 54:33; 5. Rachel Boehmler, Soldotna, AK 56:03; 6. Deb Russ, Kenai, AK 57:46; 7. Courtney Abel, Soldotna, AK 1:02:47; 8. Robin Morris, Kenai, AK 1:05:35; 9. Linda Moll, Gleason, WI 1:08:00; 10. Sarah Miller, Soldotna, AK 1:09:57; 11. Mariah Ross, Soldotna, AK 1:09:59; 12. Diane Doser, Soldotna, AK 1:11:33.

10K Men

1. Niko Zlotnik, Soldotna, AK 46:57; 2. Reese Ross, Soldotna, AK 52:34; 3. Hollis Swan, Soldotna, AK 52:30; 4. Christopher Shockley, Kenai, AK 55:48; 5. Brent Johnson, Clam Gulch, AK 58:52.