Reagan Run 5K, set for July 5 in Dixon, forges connections among family members

DIXON — The Reagan Run 5K isn’t just an awesome local 5K – for me, it marked the beginning of a life-long journey for both myself and my son, Dean.

Back in 2015, a friend from work asked me to help her train for the Reagan Run. I told her I wasn’t a runner, but she insisted. That year, I signed up for my first 5K, thinking I was just going to check it off my list of things to accomplish, but everything changed at the finish line.

Dean was there waiting for me and the excitement on his face is something I will never forget. He asked if he could run the next one with me. What I thought would be a one-and-done became something more. I couldn’t say no when he was so excited to run with mom. That fall, we signed up for the Turkey Trot. It was freezing that year and Dean did not love it. At the end, he declared he was never running again.

I thought that was the end of running for us, but again, something unexpected happened. As we were warming up in the nature center at Lowell Park, the awards ceremony had started. Dean turned to me and asked, “Wait, you can win a medal?” I said, “Well, yeah kiddo, it’s a race.”

That was all it took. A spark was lit and suddenly Dean had a goal to win a medal.

Once the weather had warmed, we started running more regularly. That Thanksgiving Day, he ran his first 5K in 35 minutes. By the following Reagan Run in 2016, Dean had shaved off 7 minutes. By the 2024 RR5K, he had worked his time down to the mid-16 range.

This year marks my 10th Reagan Run and Dean’s ninth. What I love most about the RR5K is how it brings people together. It’s where our journey began, where we’ve had countless hours of quality time, built a healthy habit, and created a lasting tradition – not just for us, but for so many other families in our community.

Dean’s progression

Here is a look at Dean’s progression, with his time, place and age group category listed.

2016: 27:52; 23rd; 1-10 age group

2017: 25:57; 11th; 1-10 age group

2018: 22:49; 4th; 1-10; age group

2019: 21:59; 2nd; 1-10 age group

2020: COVID

2021: 20:53; 17th; 11-20 age group

2022: 17:58; 1st; 11-14 age group

2023: 16:32; 1st; 11-14; age group

2024: 16:29; 3rd; 15-19 age group

Brittany Geiger is a longtime Reagan Run 5K participant and former Petunia Fest Board member.