Walnut 5K Run for ALS: Regan Shipp first female finisher, Elijah House second overall

A record 675 runners crossed the finish line for the 2025 Walnut 5K Run/Walk for ALS on Saturday.

Regan Shipp, 28, of Deer Grove, a former BCR Cross Country Runner of the Year, was the first female finisher with a time of 18:04.1, finishing third overall.

Elijah House of Sheffield, another former BCR Runner of the Year from Sheffield, finished second overall with a time of 17:31.1. He ran for Sauk Valley College last year and will run for St. Ambrose University this fall.

Aaron Skopec, 37, of Bettendorf, Iowa, was the race winner with a time of 17:04.2.

Other top 10 finishers included Brian Taylor, 41, of Princeton (sixth in 18:50.1), Nathan Siri, 18, of Walnut (eighth in 19:26.6), and Maddox Moore, 17 of Sheffield (10th in 19:52.2).

Top Walnut finishers were Nathan Siri, 18, (19:26.6) and Amber Nugent, 51 (27:13.4).

Loftus wins Flora-Bama Freedom Run

Brock Loftus of Ohio won the 5th annual Flora-Bama Freedom Run 4 Mile race Saturday, July 5, in Pensacola, Florida. There were 674 participants entered to either to race or walk.

A portion of the proceeds go to AHERO, which supports veterans and first responders.

Loftus, who won the 2024 Walnut 5K, will be a senior at the University of Illinois-Springfield this fall where he will run for the Prairie Stars. He is studying criminal justice.

Bouxsein, Judd win Hennepin 5K

Cayden Bouxsein and Annie Judd were the winners of the 2025 Hennepin 5K on Friday.