Locals complete grueling Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge

Preparing for the second leg of the Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge, a number of local runners gather in front of Moore’s Bar & Grill Friday. Those taking part include (from left) Vincent Aguirre, Pete Meyer, Heather Poynter, Ray Poynter Jr., Shannon Detro, Tyler Hatfield, Piper Voss, Parker Detro, Ashley Bratcher and (kneeling) Rebecka Dale.

Banner Graphic/Jared Jernagan

A group of local residents and businesses came together recently in the name of fitness, community and trying to supporting the community as it looks to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

These runners and walkers took part in the Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge, a demanding event asking runners to run five miles every four hours over a 24-hour period.

Over the course of the grueling event, the runners and walkers started or stopped at, got support from and brought attention to a number of local businesses and organizations.

Pausing for a selfie as they take in the beauty of the DePauw Nature Park in the early morning are (from left) Ashley Bratcher, Debi Swinford, Heather Poynter, Shannon Detro and Parker Detro. They are all taking part in the Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge, which calls on runners and walkers to complete 30 miles over the course of a 24-hour period. To learn more about the local version of the national event, turn to page 12A.

Courtesy photo

“Our hope is to bring awareness to a few local small businesses and the Greencastle community in general as we all try to emerge from COVID-19 stronger and better than ever,” said Shannon Detro, who organized and participated in the local event.

Organizations that took part in some form include The Warehouse Gym, Distinct (former Distinct Web Design), Tenzer Hub for Entrepreneurship, Moore’s Bar & Grill, Conspire Contemporary Craft, Poynter Family Farms, Detro Trailer Sales and All-American Karate Academy.

Detro, a Putnam County native who only recently moved back, was moved by the way the group came together in a relatively short time.

“Friday and Saturday an amazing group of humans came together to conquer the Yeti Trail Runners Ultra 24 Hour Challenge with barely a week’s planning,” Detro said in a Facebook post.. “I am awed by the sense of community that exists in Greencastle and the camaraderie we shared across our journey. To think I’ve only known the majority of these people a few, short months makes this entire experience all the more meaningful and sweeter.”

While a number of others either participated in part of the event or came out to support those taking part, a select group of nine were able to complete the entire 30-mile challenge.

These included Vincent Aguirre, Ashley Bratcher, Shannon Detro, Parker Detro, Tyler Hatfield, Heather Poynter, Ray Poynter Jr., Debi Swinford and Piper Voss.

The runners began runs at 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m., 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday to complete the challenge. Some even ran more than a mile extra if they wanted to complete a 50K run (31.1 miles).

Of special note of those who completed all the routes is Parker Detro, the youngest participant at 12 years old. Prior to this weekend, the farthest he had ever run in a single day was five miles.

Additionally, Ray Poynter Jr. and Hatfield overcame obstacles of their own. Poynter gutted out some foot issues that began to get bad on one of the overnight runs. Hatfield, on the other hand, missed his alarm for the 2 a.m. run but made up the mileage on his own.

“Now that we’re all bonded for life, I can’t wait to see what’s next for this group. Stay tuned,” Detro said. “We’re going to do great things and have a lot of fun along the way.”