07/15/2026
The eye of the Don Childs Race Storm that was 2026, in one single photo.
6 am. Registration line 15+ deep. Out of shirts. Scribbling names on cards. Thanks for coming. Good luck!
7 am. Horn sounded. Clock running. Racers gone.
Now what?
Lay out the medals. Drop the cards into categories. Get ready, they'll be back. It all happened with volunteer power...
To the people who made the Don Childs Memorial 5 Mile happen — thank you.
96 runners showed up this year, and every single one of them had a race to run because of the people below and even more that were quietly working in the wings. We could not have pulled this off without you.
🚴 Dustin Schwartz — leading the entire pack on bike, keeping everyone safe and on course
💧 Elysha McKellar, our one and only Water Boss, setting up refreshment stations that kept runners moving
⏱️ Dave Nash — Official Time Keeper and Dispenser of Sage Wisdom (a title he has fully earned)
🚧 National Guard Field Maintenance Shop #4 (FMS #4) in Gering — aid station support and honestly just made the whole event look sharp showing up in uniform...Thanks for your service!!
📋 Kinsey Senkel — running an overflowing registration table and tabulating results without missing a beat
📝 Molly and Morgan Preston — registration assistants who kept the line moving all morning
💪 Addison, Wes, and Brad Hardin — heavy muscle and good looks division, frfr. They got the gear in, down, and out with a smile.
And one simply does not run a race of this magnitude through Gering without the direct support from Gering PD👮 and VFD🧑🚒! Thanks to Captain Rogers and Chief Flowers and their teams that set up road guards at busy intersections and kept us all safe. They made it look easy!
📸 Mackenzie Westphal, Mark Rein, and the Star Herald photography - three incredible photographers who captured this race from every angle
And to our official Race Sponsors - PT Hose and Bearing, Grand Republic Milling Company, and Fresh Foods in Gering (thank you Ben and Kerri Dishman, you are amazing!) - none of this happens without your support behind it.
96 runners felt the community behind this race on Saturday. So did we. Thank you all for showing up and making it real.
