The Kookiest Crowd
The 101 Coast Highway was teeming with an overflow of energy, early Sunday morning, and it was not solely attributed to the Super Bowl, but rather, the Kook 5k and 10k race.
As early as 8 a.m., runners displayed their intricate costumes that ranged all the way from bacon strips to presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Two police officers sat on motorcycles, ready to escort elite runners through the scenic 10k course, and were able to observe the runners as they maintained a blazing pace, with an especially impressive last mile under four minutes. From start to finish, it was quickly apparent that both the spectators and participants were fired up from the event’s electric ambiance.
Among one of these runners was SDA’s previous athletic director, Justin Conn. “I honestly was kind of unmotivated to run a few months ago and I needed something to get me fired up to train, so a friend of mine decided to run this, and it has been perfect…Running is a healthy release for me,” said Conn.
The preparation of these runners was especially evident as groups in costumes quickly synchronized their steps all the way to the finish line. Each individual was beaming. One of the more noteworthy groups consisted of five women dressed as California Poppies and their ringleader and designer, Cindy Stiffler.
“We are running this race because we are a bunch of crazy ladies! I came all the way from Ohio to run this. It’s going to be a fun day; it’s gorgeous and we have a song! ‘We are the California Poppies and we love the sun; we just came for the Cardiff Kook run; we love the beach and the bright sunshine, and after we win, we will drink some wine!” said Stiffler.
