Amish Country Half Marathon draws 900 runners with personal goals, big challenges

People run distance races for all sorts of reasons. Some run to stay in shape, get in shape, compete to win, or for the sheer challenge or joy of running. Some run for a cause, and others run on a dare.

All of the above were part of the recently completed Amish Country Half Marathon, 10k and 5k event that took place Saturday, Sept. 6 in Berlin, where more than 900 runners and a huge host of volunteers crowded into the Grace Church property to kick off the event that starts with coffee and doughnuts and ends with a piping hot bowl of noodles.

Ron Wilson, who hails from San Diego, California, came across the country for two reasons. The first was to visit his father who lives in Walnut Hills-Greencroft; the second was to compete in the Amish Country 10k.

Wilson, who probably traveled as far as anyone to compete, has run a number of marathons with his wife over the years and even formerly competed in Iron Man competitions.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for two years,” he said of the race. “These hills are rough. There’s only one rougher race I can remember in terms of the hills, and that was in Catalina (California). I did notice the actual road apples along the race route, which was authentic.”

Wilson, who is 59, said his competitive days are long gone and now runs to stay in shape. He said he continually thinks about the next mile when running, trying to focus on the task at hand.

He said he also cherishes the opportunity to motivate people running with him along the route, something he said he did every chance he got during the race.

Then there was the race at the front of the pack during the half marathon.

Becky Nussbaum was the top female placer, winning the women’s half marathon in a time of 1:23:12.91. That time placed her a strong fifth overall for all runners, and she said she was thrilled with her run that was nearly a full two minutes faster than her winning effort at the event in 2024.

The Lakeville, Ohio native and 2005 West Holmes graduate also won the event last year and has enjoyed the challenge of the race. She was pushed by Emma McCarron of Mansfield, another Amish Country Half Marathon veteran who was close behind her in eighth place overall.

Nussbaum said running brings her a certain type of peace and said she uses it to quiet her mind and spirit and does plenty of praying while she runs.

“My faith fuels my running, and my running fuels my faith,” Nussbaum said.

She said running has always been a big part of her life, and she has passed that passion along to her daughter Mercedes, who runs for the West Holmes Middle School program and ran in Wooster that same day.

Austen Duggan of Steubenville, Ohio came to the event with one purpose in mind, that being to challenge himself to compete with the best there. He didn’t just compete, he pulled away to a clear-cut victory in 1:16:53.73, averaging 5:52 per mile on his way to capturing the gold.

Duggan was a first-timer to the event, and while the hills provided plenty of struggles, he loved the challenge and pushed through the varying degrees of difficulty to ride home in style.

“That Mt. Noodle hill, that one was a doozy,” Duggan said. “That thing was seriously steep. We have a lot of hills at home though, so that was good practice for me in preparing me for this challenge.”

Duggan loved the scenic beauty of the run and said this was a satisfying way to spend a morning, especially with the cool, overcast day.

Duggan said he saw the race online and looked at the times and was intrigued by the challenge of competition.

“I loved that it was a big crowd, a competitive group that would be a challenge,” Duggan said. “I wanted to have some fun and face the competition.”

One missing ingredient this year was Derek Miller, the two-time defending Amish Country Half Marathon champion who finished last year’s race in 1:12:06.4. He had a wedding he was attending and couldn’t make this year’s race, but Duggan said he would love to come back and run against the two-time champion, knowing they would push each other to the limit.

Duggan ran in high school and then for Franciscan University. The 26-year-old said running has brought him great joy, and it’s something he looks forward to, whether in competition or simply the joy of running.

“My family encouraged me to do it early on because they thought I’d be good at it,” Duggan said. “I’ve loved it ever since. I enjoy pushing myself, and it’s a great stress reliever.”

He said he worked hard to keep his focus in this race on the task at hand, keeping the pace-setting bike in front of him in his vision as he watched the mile-markers roll by on his way to victory.

“It was me and the bike after a while,” he said.

The 13th annual A/C half is in the books, having provided another great moment of community investment, unity and passionate runners who were in it to win it or simply to compete and finish the challenge.