But that wasn’t enough for Babler.

 

As soon as he crossed the finish line, he scrambled to remove the chip from his shoe and set out to run the course again, with the hope he could finish before his wife, Anna.

 

No word on whether Jesse was successful or not but Anna finished in 27:04.

 

The event was held Saturday outside on the grounds of the Faith in Action offices and the course trekked throughout the Becker community, guided by members of the Becker Police Dept.

 

The top female finisher was Megan Gfroefer-Johnson, who completed the course in 21:59. Sean Pickle finished sixth overall with a time of 23:24 — not bad for a nine-year-old. Six-year-old Caleb Holm crossed the finish line at 39:30 as the youngest racer to complete the course.

 

Ninety-three runners from across the region participated in the race from as far as Bemidji to Woodbury to Fargo, ND. Forty-two were male and 51 were female.

 

This year featured the return of competitive timing, KidsK and 2K Stroll. Medals for all age groups and divisions were handed out, a DryFit shirt was provided for runners, and a cool T-shirt for all the walkers. Afterwards, a “nummy” porkchop meal was served as well as refreshments.

 

The event is held each year to fund GRFIA’s Bridging Project — named after Bridget Stoll who died in a car accident in 2005.

 

The Bridging Project aims to empower student volunteers of all ages and connect them to service opportunities in their communities, as well as opportunities to build relationships with older adults through its Adopt-a-Grandparent initiative.

 

Over the past several years, The Bridging Project has worked with over 4,000 students who have given more than 30,000 hours of service in their community.

 

One can find a complete list of the results of the race at the following website: www.mtecresults.com.