On a chilly Saturday morning last month, several members of the Gary Crossley Ford family showed up in support of healthcare service in our community at the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon and William Jewell 5k.
Service Manager Zachary Smith and our Culture Champion Frankie Petty were among the many members of our community, employees and customers, who ran in one of the races or volunteered to support those who did.
This year’s scenic courses began and finished at the William Jewell College football field and meandered through and around downtown Liberty after many of the hills were removed from prior year’s courses
Hills or no hills, Missouri state records were broken
@mykcford Water Station #2 at the Liberty Memorial Hospital #5K and #halfmarathon #race #LibertyMO ♬ BARELY BREATHING – Grant Averill
Liberty’s hills are beautiful to look at, and tough to run. Just because there were fewer of them doesn’t mean they didn’t take their toll.
Despite the exhausting terrain and Saturday Morning’s frigid temps, several statewide records were broken across a wide range of age groups.
15-year-old Sage Wilde from the Liberty North High School cross country team was the overall winner, crossing the finish line in 1:11:11, a full minute faster than any other competitor, and setting the state record for his age group. It was Wilde’s second record of the weekend after breaking a high school cross country record on Friday.
69-year-old Henri Coeme of Neosho, Missouri finished the half-marathon in a record-setting time of 1:38:06 and Kansas City’s Ave Ellison set a new record for 9-year-old female runners with a final time of 2:38:19.
Supporting Our Community – Crossley Cares
Congrats to all the runners (and walkers), organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and spectators on an amazing and successful event.
Gary Crossley Ford was there because we aren’t just in the community, we are of the community and we see supporting and improving the lives of our community members as a fundamental part of our mission. Selling cars is just how we help make that happen.
Over the last 8 years, the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon and Jewell 5k have raised over half a million dollars for improved healthcare and healthcare education in Liberty. That money has funded healthcare for under-insured patients, supported health education programs, brought resources to healthcare providers and patients, and created new career pathways for future and present nurses in our community.
See ya next year!
