Mammoth Run Reaches The Fourth Year
Lane Smith crosses the finish line in first place at the 2019 Mammoth 5k on Saturday, September 21st.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The rain was threatening the 4th annual Mammoth Run hosted by Friends of Mahaska County Conservation on Saturday morning. Luckily, the precipitation held off until the runners and walkers had all returned.
Young Lane Smith was the first person to cross the finish line on Saturday morning.
The course began and finished at the new Mahaska County Environmental Learning Center.
Lane says his speed comes from both his mom and dad, as they are both runners.
As he was running the trail, Lane was thinking about how he was in first place and that it was sort of his goal to win the race. “I just wanted to beat dad.”
“I didn’t think he’d win, said Mom. “But I’m sure proud of him.”
“Looks like he had a good time doing it, and he worked hard,” added Mom.
Mary-Jane Sullivan, a member of the Friends of Mahaska County Conservation, spoke about the effort of hosting the 5K and 1-mile walk, and the rewards it brings to the community.
“I think considering how the weather was supposed to be, we lucked out,” said Sullivan of the day’s event. “We’re grateful for the people who did participate. It’s for a worthy cause.”
The money raised from the 5k and 1-mile walk helped the group to purchase benches, help offset the cost of traveling displays, among other things.
The Friends of Mahaska County Conservation was also a big part in helping bring the mammoth bones back home to Mahaska County and make them available for public display.
Another project the Friends group has been hosting is opportunities to turn in your plastic grocery bags, that in turn get recycled and turned into useful items like picnic tables and benches.
The plastic bag collecting stations first appeared earlier this year at the e-cycling event hosted by MCG.
The group will be visiting with the Oskaloosa Elementry in the coming weeks and challenging the students to help them recycle the plastic grocery bags, that will then be turned into new useful items.
The program has gained steam around town, with lots of inquiries as to when and how to recycle the bags. A permanent place at the environmental learning center will soon be available for people to deposit their plastic bags.
