Sunday’s Turtle’s Run 5K was a race with a very specific focus.
The event is named after Kevin Bolin, an Oak Park and River Forest High School hockey player, known to his friends as “Turtle,” who died in a car accident in 2001 while on his way to a high school hockey tournament. The nickname “Turtle” was bestowed by his freshman hockey coach since Kevin, with his head protruding from goalie’s pads and green practice jersey, reminded his coach of a turtle.
Kevin’s mom, Pat and her three daughters wanted to do something positive in Kevin’s name for the OPRF Hockey Club, and organized the race as a low-key athletic participation event to provide scholarships to OPRF hockey players in memory of Kevin Bolin and John Cooper-star goalie for OPRF’s 1975 State champion team-who, ironically, also died in a similar accident 25 years ago.
The 5K running course includes places which were important in Kevin’s life-Oak Park and River Forest High School, the Bolin home, and his usual routes to St. Giles grade school and church. Part of the north end of the course goes through an alley, regularly used by Kevin and his sisters on their way to school.
Scott Arient, of LaGrange Park, a member of the Oak Park Runners Club and a frequent road racer, has run several Turtle’s Runs. Arient, who finished first Sunday in his 45-49 age group, said he is always amused by the alley portion of the route.
“Everybody looks forward to the alley since it’s at two miles with only a mile to go, and how often do you get to run in an alley,” said Arient. “But it’s a nice alley-concrete paved, and maybe a faster running surface than the streets. It adds an unusual element.”
“That’s the way we used to walk to school everyday as kids, so it has special meaning,” said Colleen Bolin Newhart, Kevin’s older sister, of the alley route.
The five editions of Turtle’s Run have generated money for the Kevin Bolin/John Cooper scholarship fund which has now grown to over $120,000, providing scholarships to 10 students thus far. Individual scholarships of $1,200 are renewable so long as the student stays in good standing at an accredited school. Race volunteers include family friends and members of the hockey club, which has become the event’s primary organizer.
A big portion of the scholarship funds came from Kraft Foods with its matching grants to charitable events through Johanna Johnston, a Kraft employee and Bolin family friend. But the fund has also grown from race proceeds and individual contributions as well as the corporate matching funds.
Sunday’s race on a beautiful running day was dominated by former OPRF runners. The overall top three finishers were Mike Ptak in 16:17, followed by Julius White in 16:45 and Newhart in 17:02. There were 164 finishers in the 5K run, plus another 150 or so in the fitness walk. Previous editions of Turtle’s Run have had over 300 participants in the 5K, so this year’s registration was a bit low.
Incidentally, Newhart, an outstanding runner while at OPRF and Loyola University, met the Olympic trials 1,500 meters qualifying standard at the recent USATF National championships in Indianapolis. In addition to pursuing her own running career with a primary focus on the Olympic trials next year, Newhart is now an assistant track coach at OPRF and will be an assistant cross country coach at Dominican University in the fall.
Newhart’s close involvement with the community, her own running and the importance of Turtle’s Run to her family and the OPRF Hockey Club insure that the race will be a continuing summer event in the community.