ETNA GREEN – Todd Hoffer was worried sick last year that no one would show up to his revival of the Country Run. Hoffer restarted the one-mile race through the streets and country roads around Etna Green in June 2014 in honor of its founder, the late Randy Miner, a friend and mentor who started it in 1979. It faded away after a couple of decades, along with the town’s Fourth of July celebrations, but Hoffer’s revival drew 160 runners for its inaugural event. This year’s run is June 13, with a one-mile race at 4 p.m. and a four-mile at 5 p.m. All runs depart from Heritage Park, 208 E. High St., Etna Green. Hoffer was happy with last year’s turnout, despite his fears. “When I decided to organize this event in his honor I knew it would be tough. Randy is a hard act to follow. During the months leading up to the race I literally worried myself sick wondering if anyone would show up, but they did,” he said. “Friends, family and many of his old running buddies who used to meet at the races every weekend all came to Etna Green on a hot summer evening to show their love for an old friend and to support me in honoring him.” Miner’s Country Run attracted over 300 people at the peak of the running boom of the 1980s. Miner, who ran Wood-N-Stuff in Warsaw with his wife, Nancy, combined his love of running with his love of woodworking by making wooden clock trophies for the winners. Miner died unexpectedly in July 2012 after a reaction to dye injected during a routine exam. Hoffer describes Miner as an encouraging friend with an infectious kindness. He recalled Miner hiring him during the summer for general contracting when he was a teenager. “We painted, roofed, plumbed, etc. Whatever it took to make a buck,” Hoffer said. “He also showed me how to properly wear a toolbelt so that it looked cool. We not only did the work, we did it while looking good.” Handmade wooden trophies will be given to the top finishers in the memorial run, and door prizes will be given away including a grand prize 46-inch flat screen TV. There also will be a live broadcast by WRSW, crafts, food and communitywide garage sales. There is a $10 race fee and $2 signup fee for the one-mile and $20 fee plus $2.50 signup for the four-mile. Register by June 9 at runsignup.com/race/in/etnagreen/randyminermemorialcountryrun “My hope is that this race will continue to reunite old friends and grow into the kind of event that would make him very proud,” Hoffer said.
