There’s no need to be blood related to easily connect with the running community as family, as it happens naturally to those who participate. To be there in person is to experience this amazing uniqueness.
Hinson Lake hosted the 19th annual 24-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Sept. 27. There are 500 openings for sign-up which start at midnight on the first of January each year and usually fill up within the first six hours, then the waiting list begins.
Many will have to give their spots up due to life happenings, therefore those on the waiting list are bumped up.
This year there were 387 participants, partly due to the weather forecast. Rockingham had had about a month-long dry spell in some areas which desperately needed rain, but that ceased the night before the Ultra began. Friday night campers experienced a wet, windy night as the weather took a turn. On the bright side of that, they didn’t have to eat dust for the next 24 hours.
Participants of all ages — as well as a few furry friends — gathered at the starting area early on Saturday morning. The national anthem was played, then at 8 a.m. the horn blew and they were off to begin their 24-hour journey around the 1.5032-mile track which circles Hinson Lake.
Light rain continued for several hours after the event began, but tapered off soon after. Cloud covering kept the sun from beating down on the runners, for which they were grateful.
Jerry Lindstrand begins the massive job of organizing the race almost a year ahead of time. Both he and his wife Connie’s hard work show in the smooth transition of the event, making it a success year after year.
There are also many volunteers who help with the event, contributing to the success. The runners love Hinson Lake — it’s one of their favorite locations, mainly due to the structure of the organizational flow, the friendly people, and the peaceful atmosphere, bringing them back year after year.
This year’s top finishers were:
Mangum Track Club top finishers:
There were three participants who exceeded 100 miles, 53 who achieved 100K, and 202 achieved 50K. Medals, as well as hand-made pottery pieces by Irene Russell. Those achieving 100K also received a medal.
Hinson Lake’s top three all-time mileage leaders are Ray Krolewicz with 1455.5963 miles and David Solomon with 1284.3745 miles. Although no longer with us, third place is still held by William Keane with 1154.4422 all-time miles.
Each runner has their own personal story as to what keeps them going— many made of miracles.
One of those miracles is from a retired professor, 72-year-old Paul Heckert. He has participated in the Hinson Lake Ultra for 17 years, only missing two.
Just after last year’s event, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a bone cancer. Heckert began treatments and had a stem cell transplant in May of this year. He is grateful to be in remission while currently continuing medications.
He wore a special shirt a friend had made for him during his hospital stay showing he reached 16 miles while walking the halls of the hospital.
“I just started walking again in July. A half-mile felt like an Ultra,” Heckert said. “I need to get 41.24 more miles to reach my 1000-mile overall mark at Hinson Lake in which I will get my jacket. It will be a miracle.”
Each runner who achieves 1,000 miles at Hinson Lake is awarded a special jacket. Heckert achieved 26.3124 of those miles this past Saturday which shows another miracle in the making.
Catherine Quaintance Kramer began running with some of her college friends numerous years ago. She continued running for several years until having children, then she took an 11-year break. Kramer started back again in 2008 at Hinson Lake and has participated in every event there since.
This past May, Kramer had surgery on her ankle and has not raced since then until the race at Hinson Lake. Having 61.5 miles to go, her goal was also to reach the 1000-mile overall mark at Hinson Lake.
She attained 43.5948 of those miles, as her ankle didn’t let her down. In speaking of her favorite things about Hinson Lake, she didn’t hesitate when saying, “The community, camaraderie, competition, Ray, Paul, and remembering Bill Keane.”
Jokingly she said, “Honestly, just getting my butt beat every year. There’s an 11-year old here beating me; I teach and can’t go back to school being beat by an 11-year old. The kids will never let me live it down.”
This year was Brian Wheeler’s first time running at Hinson Lake in which he also accomplished his first 50K. Wheeler survived a heart attack in May of this year and had a heart catheterization in August, giving him not much time to train for the event. He was motivated to start running four years ago after a prior heart attack.
In talking about the Hinson Lake event, he said, “This is a really cool setup; I really like this. The trail, everything, the people, it’s a really cool run. I feel like I’m going to hit 40 miles before I’m done. That’s my plan; I’m a little tired, so there will be some running and walking mixed.”
Wheeler’s final number was 52.0098 miles — mission accomplished and then some.
At the age of 82, Helen Gray was the oldest runner at Hinson Lake this year. It was her first time participating in the event, and she was impressed. Her son Rick Gray is an avid runner who also participated.
“Rick started running when he was in junior high, and I also ran along,” she said. “He has wanted me to run this. It has been fun, but I think I will call it quits at 21 miles. I love the course; it is pretty and peaceful. They treat you royally; all the food you could possibly want. They have everything you need. I have met lots and lots of people. Everybody’s just wonderful.”
Helen Gray reached 21.0448 miles.
Paul Starling accomplished his 150th Ultra at Hinson Lake this year. He started running in high school; track and cross-country. After high school he continued running 5 and 10K races.
Starling said, “In 1976 I was motivated to run longer distances while watching the Olympics,” Starling said. “I tried my first marathon at Disney in 2001, but an injury kept me from finishing. I went back the next year and completed my first marathon at Disney.
“After running 24-25 marathons, I said ‘What’s the next challenge?’ and I read the book ‘Confessions of an all-night Runner; Ultra Marathon Man’ by Dean Karnazes.”
Starling went on to say he was motivated by the book and felt he could accomplish more. Six years later he ran his first Ultra marathon, and from there began increasing his mileage. Starling became a MTC member in 2013. He also ran his first Hinson Lake event in 2013, completing 101.36 miles.
“It was my most memorable moment at Hinson,” Starling said. “This is my twelfth year participating at Hinson. One of my main goals through the years was to get on the top 24 list of all-time mileage leaders at Hinson. I currently stand at 20th place with 732 miles.
“My goal this year is to at least get 100k, but would really like to get 68 miles which would push me to 800 total miles here. What I like about this race so much is being an MTC member. It’s like a big family reunion — it keeps me coming back to see all my friends.”
Starling also remembered some iconic runners who just passed away in the last few years.
“I’ve seen many come and go,” he said. “Unfortunately Bill Keane is no longer with us, and Lee Watson is another one no longer with us.”
Starling finished this year with 67.6460 miles.
Peter Asciutto and Richard Lassiter have run the Hinson Lake event for 16 years.
“As crazy as this sounds, this is a very relaxing event,” Asciutto said. “You’re in the woods, and nature takes over; it’s a calming event, like a ‘Calgon take me away’ moment.”
Dave DeSilva is another runner who has overcome major obstacles this year. He has participated in the Hinson Lake event since around 2011.
“I had good success early on; did a 97-mile and did over 100-miles. I love Hinson Lake,” said DeSilva.
On March 1 of this year, he and his running buddy Bonnie, who is also a nurse, headed out to do the morning run. He noticed a little bit of tightness in his neck which had been going on for a couple of weeks, but this time it was a little tighter than normal and included elbow and jaw pain.
“My neck got worse and it started going down my chest; I had to stop,” DeSilva said. “Bonnie said, ‘You need to go to the doctor’. It was a mile down the road to the hospital, so I went. Within an hour or two, I had a catheter in my arm. They put two stents in. I had a 95 percent blockage in one — they call it a widow-maker — and a 90 percent in another one.”
Due to DeSilva’s participation in Ultras, he had some extra capillaries that helped with the blood flow to the heart; possibly saving his life.
“After the procedure, my doctor told me I could do some 5 and 10Ks, but didn’t put a limit on them,” DeSilva said. “The Crooked Road Run was the following weekend; I did 40-something miles. I am trying to do 100K here today.”
DeSilva exceeded his goal this year at Hinson finishing with 65.0826 miles.
Various gnomes find a place at the lake each year as they are moved from place to place keeping participants occupied during the run.
The banana drop marks the grand finale of the event, as each runner who chooses to go one last time will receive a banana with their number written on it. When the clock hits the 24th hour, Lindstrand blows the horn and all bananas are dropped, allowing that final distance to be calculated and included in the runner’s total miles. This year, a few furry friends even enjoyed the bananas.
Former runner and event-timer operator Brad Smythe has been faithful to work the Ultra for 11 years. This year, his 17-year-old son, Finn Smythe, was with him in-training. There were two food trucks available: Funcessions, operated by Pam Carpenter and Steve Lear, offered ice cream to satisfy the sweet tooth; and Wildfire Pizza, operated by Ouida Newell, satisfied hunger pains.
Massage therapist Denise Martin has been donating her services helping runners for 14 years. Martin arrives early every year on the morning of the Ultra and stays for the entire event; being available for anyone in need. Unfortunately, this was her last year offering her services, as she has decided to participate in the Ultra next year.
Allison Story, founder of Richmond County Operation Fix had the van available for all to drop off their donations of pet food and pet items. She was also receiving monetary donations.
There was a total of 1674.75 pounds of dry food, 219 pounds of wet food, puppy pads, 366.2 pounds of cat litter, treats, and a total of $3124.84 in monetary donations.
“I thank Jerry and Connie and all the runners at Hinson Lake,” Story said. “This event has donated to us since 2013, and we are forever grateful. We will use the cat food for our feral program and families in need, along with the other supplies for the senior center’s Meals on Wheels for the Paws Program. We will also be sharing some food and litter with our animal shelter. We cannot thank you guys enough for the outpouring of generosity and love we always get from ya’ll.”
With Hinson Lake being a runner’s paradise as well as one of their favorite places, the beauty and serenity will continue to bless all who visit while awaiting its 2026 welcomed Ultra family and the miracles that follow.
For more information, visit the Facebook page Hinson Lake 24 Ultra Classic
For complete race results go to https://my.raceresult.com/358930/
