July 24, 1982 - A Look Back

Mae Cleveland recently pointed out that the August 1982 Fleet Foot had results from the first version of the Women’s Distance Festival. The race was called “You’ve Come a Long Way, Lady 5K.” The calendar ad for the race indicated it was to be run in Lafayette Park. Race directors Dot Skofronick and Shirly Bull offered a unique incentive to race – “free baby sitting.” The newsletter listed 26 finishers in the 5K and 23 in the mile, all women as best I can tell. Cheryl Jennings was the overall winner of the 5K race in a time of 20:14, while Joyce Lowery won the 1 mile race in 5:59.

The race directors’ wrap up note said: “Congratulations to all the finishers! Many thanks to NIke for their donations of Tee shirts, and our local supporters: Artistic Flowers, Athlete’s Foot, Borden Dairy, Albertson’s and McDonalds for their generous contributions. Finally, a thousand thank you’s to our efficient and cheerful race workers; we couldn’t have begun without you.”