Taking on the 2017 Harvest Moon Hustle was like meeting an old friend for Bill Udell. “It’s my favorite running event. It’s the one race I won’t miss every year,” he said. He’s competed in the Harvest Moon Hustle since it’s inaugural year in 2011.
Running beneath a canopy of fall foliage in the ever fading evening light makes Harvest Moon Hustle one of the most unique events and courses in the state. Udell certainly didn’t disagree. “I love the course. I think running on the trail at sunset is probably my favorite part. I find myself smiling the whole way.”
When asked about advice for runners thinking about registering for Harvest Moon Hustle next year, Udell mentioned the course (and, of course, the sell out rate), “Don’t wait! It fills up really quickly, but don’t hesitate. You won’t regret signing up for it. And when you’re running it, don’t just focus on running… open your eyes and look around.”
Udell wasn’t a first time runner, and he wasn’t a newbie to Pink Gorilla Events, either. He’s a partner at Lincoln’s very own Don’t Panic Labs, which is an early stage software development company that is working with Pink Gorilla Events for this year’s Market to Market Relay Nebraska.
“It turns out that for Market to Market Relay, scheduling the wave times is a long process for race director Ben Cohoon and takes him a week of real calendar time. We’re creating software that basically takes that away from him.” Indeed, it’s a huge puzzle putting together starting wave times for M2M Relay and we’re excited about using technology to improve the process and result.
As a fellow runner, Udell has a great perspective in helping achieve this goal. He’s ran in the M2M Relay Nebraska six years and you’ll even see him out on the course this year. “Hopefully, what we do creates a better experience for the runners of Market to Market Relay.”
Thanks for running Harvest Moon Hustle, Bill, and good luck at Market to Market Relay Nebraska!