Today I sat in on a zoom call with fellow business owners and our local leaders Jeff Griffin of the Chamber and Mayor Paul Tenhaken to discuss the Safer Sioux Falls Pledge. I sent an email blast out about this earlier in the week when we signed the pledge. In truth, there is absolutely nothing within the pledge that we were not already doing at 605 Running Company, for the past five plus months when we re-opened for business. The leadership on our call pleaded for positivity in messaging. Pandemic fatigue is very real right now and if our recent city council meetings say anything, it says we are deeply divided as a community as to what we think our local government’s role should be at helping to get a handle on the spread of COVID.

Transparent, reliable and fun. Those are our core values here at 605 Running Company. Before I go any further into this post, in an effort to be transparent I want everyone to understand that I voted and supported Mayor Paul TenHakens campaign. This really isn’t a secret, as Paul has been a friend to the shop well before he got into politics. Just because we are friends and I voted for him doesn’t mean I agree with him on everything. If you know me personally and many of you do; you know that I have strong disagreements with certain decisions that have been made over the past eight months. This post isn’t meant to be political, but I wanted to put that out there in the beginning. Even though I’ve got my disagreements, I still support our Mayor. If you want to know the reasons why you can certainly reach out and I’d be happy to answer those questions.

Leadership is difficult. As a business owner, a manager, a board member, a father and a husband the best thing I’ve learned about leadership is to be a good listener. In 2020, even listening can be difficult. With so much information out there and so many voices screaming to be heard, listening is hard. As a runner I’ve learned how to embrace hard. I told a friend that I felt like I made five years’ worth of decisions in the past five months. Thankfully, I’ve surrounded myself with really smart people. So making all of these hard decisions has been less burdensome than it could have been. I empathize with our local leaders and I thank them all for their service to our community.

So what is my positive message that I can share?

For starters we are open for walk-in business. If you recall earlier this spring we did shut down for 8 weeks. The fact that we can open the door daily is truly something to be celebrated. I’ve also been working extremely hard on the Sioux Falls Skedaddle Half Marathon for this spring. Given the positive news with potential vaccines and our ability to safely operate our business and host safe events, I have very high hopes that we’ll be able to conduct our race in a safe and thrilling way by April. We also have improved our abilities to reach our customers. A year ago today you wouldn’t have been able to shop our store online. Now everything we sell is available to you through our website. We are offering free shipping, curbside pickup or in-store pickup. These are all very positive things we can focus on here at the shop. Finally, we are hiring. This week I posted an open position for a new Assistant Store Manager. I’m optimistic that we will find our next great leader with this search.

To be completely honest with you all today I wanted to write a very downtrodden blog post about how business is going. Frankly, it hasn’t been great in October or November, but as you can see above we have a lot of positive things happening. If we as a community can come together and get through the next 8 weeks, I personally think we have a bright future here in Sioux Falls. I’m proud of the work my team has done to continue to fulfill our mission here at the shop. It hasn’t been an easy year and we have a lot of work to do, but I believe we live in a benevolent city that can overcome the challenges of this year and be stronger together. Our business is depending on it!  

​Greg Koch is the Co-Owner and General Manager of 605 Running Company and Produces the Sioux Falls Skedaddle Half Marathon, SuFu Circuit Relay Race and the 605 Summer Race Series. He serves on the Board of Directors for Downtown Sioux Falls, the 605 Race Crew and the Sioux Falls Area Running Club. When Greg isn’t with his family or working he enjoys being outside biking, kayaking, golfing or playing church softball.

​Instagram: gregrun605
YouTube: 605 Running Company
Facebook: facebook.com/greg.koch.583

As we look forward to hosting the 2021 Sioux Falls Skedaddle Half Marathon I wanted to dedicate some time here on our blog to highlight some of my family’s favorite places in Sioux Falls. We believe that the Skedaddle is more than a race. It is a weekend enjoying our beautiful city. So no matter if you are a local running our race or traveling from far away our goal is for you to take the weekend to soak up all that our great city has to offer. As a runner myself I love to plan race-cations, but the important thing is to remember that the “cation” part of the phrase still means vacation for your family.  

Who am I? My name is Greg Koch and I’m hopeful that by this point you recognize me as the new Skedaddle race director. I’m also part owner of 605 Running Company and my family has owned a small business in Downtown Sioux Falls for the past nineteen years. My wife Chelsea and I have a one year old daughter Violet. Prior to Covid-19 Chelsea’s position within her work was moved to work-from-home last February (great timing). Together the three of us have been doing our best to navigate the world during a global pandemic. This has included many summer walks around the neighborhood and creating an at-home waterpark at Grandma and Grandpas house. Today I want to talk about a place we’ve really enjoyed going lately right here in Sioux Falls.

The Outdoor Campus of Sioux Falls is the perfect natural setting for the family and it is located in the heart of the city. With high quality, crushed gravel hiking trails (over 2 miles worth) and our current favorite the natural playground this is a great place to take young kids to burn off some energy. The Outdoor Campus is a joint project between the South Dakota Game Fish & Park and the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department. They often host “try-it” events and classes related to outdoor activity. The best part is these activities are usually free. The indoor facility boasts a 3,000 gallon fish tank and there are usually plenty of critters to check out in the smaller aquariums indoors as well.

During the pandemic my family and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to embrace the great outdoors and remain socially distant from others. Located off of 57th street and Oxbow in proximity to Sertoma Park and the Butterfly House and Aquarium this is a must visit area in Sioux Falls. The Skedaddle route also passes by this area which means it would be a great place to track your favorite runner on race day!
Finally, I must mention that this is an ideal place for speed work while training to race!
 
The Outdoor Campus
4500 S Oxbow Ave
Located in Sertoma Park
Sioux Falls, SD 57105

​Greg Koch is the Co-Owner and General Manager of 605 Running Company and Produces the Sioux Falls Skedaddle Half Marathon, SuFu Circuit Relay Race and the 605 Summer Race Series. He serves on the Board of Directors for Downtown Sioux Falls, the 605 Race Crew and the Sioux Falls Area Running Club. When Greg isn’t with his family or working he enjoys being outside biking, kayaking, golfing or playing church softball.

​Instagram: gregrun605
YouTube: 605 Running Company
Facebook: facebook.com/greg.koch.583

​Last week, a couple of brave female runners from our community shared their stories of experiences they probably thought they would never have and how their lives have been impacted since. The aftermath of a traumatic event is something we probably do not often think about when we hear harrowing stories like the ones shared last week. As described by our two contributors, though, the mental, emotional, and even physical repercussions of such events last long past the initial insult. 
 
As much as I would like to say that we should come up with some brilliant solution that will keep predators from preying and disrupting our day to day activities, that would probably be quite naïve. I cannot say that it isn’t still a dream, that as a woman I will be able to go out, day or night, light or dark, alone or with my peers, and participate in the things that bring me joy without feeling fear. However, I understand that until that day, we are the biggest weapon in the fight for our personal safety. 
 
I don’t want to beat the proverbial dead horse by going over the basics, but we are always welcoming new members into our running community, and contrary to belief, some of the basics may not be things that “everyone knows”. In addition, I do not think it’s a bad thing for our male friends and counterparts to really get a feel for what women think about and prepare for nearly every time we lace up to go out and get some miles in. 
 
First and foremost, the most important concept is that of “situational awareness”, essentially being aware of our environment and its potential impacts. We all practice some degree of situational awareness any time we go out for a run—monitoring for traffic, paying attention to weather conditions, ensuring access to proper hydration, etc. When it comes to being a female, especially out alone, it becomes even more vital to be situationally aware. Probably the number one rule of thumb that I am personally guilty of violating on a consistent basis is the use of headphones. I’m not saying not to plug in and listen to your favorite tunes or podcast, but keep volumes at a level where you can still hear your surroundings. This is also just a general safety rule. Headphones that accommodate ambient noise are a great tool, or only using one ear and keeping the other one open to the environment. 
 
Secondly, be visible, especially if you are heading out before or after the sun. Again, while still a general rule of safety for running in the dark, the more visible you are, the more likely a predator will be deterred due to the conspicuousness of lights and reflectors. The same can be said by trying to stay in well-lit, well-traveled areas.
 
Third--I read an article once about how male predators don’t like it when women make eye contact. They are looking for someone unassuming, who seems to not be paying attention or won’t be able to identify them, so girl—MAKE EYE CONTACT. I have to admit I am not good about following my own general life advice, let alone safety strategies for running by myself, but you better believe I stare down every single person I encounter on a run. Honestly, I’ve probably scared some people myself, now that I think about it. 
 
Lastly, if you DO end up in a situation where you are in physical danger, there are still ways to protect and defend yourself. Be LOUD. Yell, scream, make a scene...predators want an easy target that’s not going to fight back. Know the soft spots to go after-- eyes, nose, groin, fingers, and knees--use everything you’ve got to get those spots. You’ve got some decent built-in weapons to combat creeps, so bust out those claws, fists, teeth, and feet. I have also linked some handy self-defense tools that are easy to carry while running at the bottom of this blog post for you to check out and add to your arsenal that God gave you. 
 
I struggled with writing this post because I can’t help but feel it puts the burden on us as women, who are doing nothing but being women, to protect and defend ourselves. I would be lying if I said the whole time I’m typing out these words that I wasn’t gritting my teeth and feeling like I’m betraying my fellow sole sisters and insinuating that our safety and wellbeing is our own responsibility, but the sad fact of the matter is, that it’s kind of the truth. Yes, we should be teaching our boys to respect women and to not harass or rape women, but the unfortunate reality is there are still those out there with an agenda that we won’t be able to change.
 
I would never tell a fellow female runner not to do something they love, in an environment they love, at a time they love. If you know me, you know I tend to loathe the sun and prefer runs that occur in the dark, so I’d never advocate for something I don’t believe in. However, as a community, we can all support one another by advocating for OURSELVES and our safety, and to continue to spread the word that we are not here for your garbage and we are not going to sit by and continue to let predators intimidate and scare us and keep us from doing the things we love for fear of becoming of a victim.
 
Common Self-Defense Tools
https://www.thehomesecuritysuperstore.com/products/streetwise-sting-ring-knuckle-stun-gun-pink-18m
https://605-running-company.square.site/shop/personal-safety/24 
https://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/wild-kat-keychains/
https://www.tigerlady.com/collections/feature
https://www.rei.com/c/whistles
https://goguarded.com/#purchase-here
https://www.outdooredge.com/products/para-claw

​In our last post, we told you we were going to feature stories from some of the women who have had terrifying experiences within our own community. While this may be one of the longer posts that is published, we ask you to be an advocate and ally by taking the time to hear these women by reading their compelling stories.
 
Nichelle Lund:
“I think the most frustrating thing about being a woman – in general – is constantly having to adapt. We can never just “be”. In order to be a female runner, you ‘need’ extra equipment specifically designed for your safety – not just to be seen in darkness, but to protect and or defend yourself when and if that time comes. Most men walk out of their house and just go without a second thought to rape whistles, loud sound machines, pepper spray, light up vests, sharp jabbing stocks or even guns. As a new runner – I had only started my journey in December of 2019 – because what better time of year to start running than Winter in South Dakota. I had signed up for a series of increasingly longer races in the hopes of completing 3 half marathons in 2020. That was the goal and I was slowly but surely, cold mile after mile preparing for it. I had my shoes and various layers of clothing (some for running, some were just convenient). I hadn’t bothered with anything more advanced than that – because I wasn’t there yet.
It was colder than I suspected that morning. I added an extra layer not knowing if I might shed it later. Monday, March 30th at 4:50am I left my house for a 5-6 mile run. I hadn’t decided how far I was going because I wanted to get back in time for a Zoom gym class at 6am. The world had stopped because of COVID-19. I had a lot of pent-up stress from work, clients and one piece of bad news after another. Life was weird and I was escaping. I put my headphones in and turned it to a newly found podcast, it was perfect for laughing and mindless entertainment. As I rounded the corner at about 1.5 miles into my run, I saw someone ahead of me, made sure he knew I was passing on his right and never thought about it again. I round the next corner, and the next, I am going in a giant square today – it’s a route I’m familiar with, but I’m running it backwards – which I’ve never done before, it feels so good. I feel great, I hit the four mile mark and feel AMAZING my feet are light, my breathing is steady and I honestly consider going for four more miles and skipping my gym class this morning.
I see a hand come across my vision and cover my mouth – I immediately started screaming, kicking and trying to squirm and move and get away. I don’t know if he picked me up for just in the shuffle he shoved me in the direction of some trees nearby. We were on a main street, in a neighborhood, someone had to hear me – there were so many runners out this time of day – I screamed, no words, just screaming to keep sound coming out. I fought and he began hitting me in the head – I don’t know if it was just his hand, if he had a rock or another instrument – I had stars coming in and out of my vision, all I could see were tree branches. I could feel him on top of me, just trying to get me to be quiet. Eventually he flipped me over and shoved my face into the dirt, he reached for my leggings, and then he got up and ran away. It was at this moment, I had lost control of my bowels and bladder. A phrase I would repeat many times over the next several weeks was, “In the words of Bob Ross, “Happy Accidents”.” I got up, crying, shaking, covered in pine needles, dirt, grass and mud, watched him run away as my head swam. I ran towards two people I saw across the street. I ran up to them, I’m sure incoherent in anything I was saying. They assisted me in calling the cops and my husband. I was less than a mile from home, so my husband arrived quickly – and shortly thereafter the cops arrived.
Cops, detectives, mug shot line-ups, photo evidence, ER visit, texts, calls, the rest of the day is a blur of questions, answers, more probing questions, walking them through my morning, trying to both re-live and forget everything that had happened. I really just wanted it to go away. Compared to others – it wasn’t even that bad. I hadn’t been raped. I should feel lucky – that’s what you tell yourself. But every person walking down the road, slightly out of place at 5:15 am – is a suspect, every person that has a similar build might be him. You know what the intention was, you know it could have been much worse – expect for “Happy Accidents”.
I was very open about my experience on social media – because I’m your neighbor, I’m your friend, your colleague, a client – you know me. I’m not some nameless, faceless person on the news. I wanted people to know that this happened to someone they knew because they might take more precautions because of my experience.
I let my body heal – some, and that following Sunday, I went out with a small group of women and we did the Chilly Cheeks 10 mile run in our neighborhood. One of the women was there that morning and I was equally thankful and terrified that I would be judged – for what? I don’t even know now. I ran two more times in the month of April before I ran the Skedaddle half marathon – it was an ugly run with less than 18 miles of training in. I wasn’t in a great place mentally or physically to do it. But I finished – it was truly an accomplishment that I’m proud of, just not the way I wanted to do it.
12 weeks of trauma therapy, 24+ visits to a chiropractor and I’m still trying to work out what happened that morning. How did I miss it? How did I miss him coming up on me? How did I miss him following me for over 2 miles? Why me? I’m not a typical runner, I’m not small, I’m tall-ish with a few extra pounds to lose and relative strong build, so why me? He has not been caught. He has never been caught. Yet, they have his DNA – because it was all over my clothing. They’re just waiting for him to mess up. I have running partners for now, winter might prove to be a solo endeavor. I’ve only gone running on my own twice at this point. Once while on vacation where I felt like I needed to – and if I told you I cried that whole first mile, that would be an understatement. I sobbed, letting go of pent up EVERYTHING. The next time was back here, in the afternoon, just a quick 3 mile run – no tears, but plenty of anxiety to go around. My next “milestone” (for lack of a better term) is going to be finishing my run from that morning. I have only gone past that area twice – with other people driving. We. My husband and I, avoid the area completely. I’m not sure what is going to happen on that run, but I am looking forward to it – with a partner. I would love to live in a world where I could just go outside and run, like I was doing, before someone ruined it for me. Unfortunately, I’ll likely never live in that paradise world, but it’s good to dream.
I’m still lacing up and about to start increasing mileage and continue trying to be better than I was yesterday. I think the moral of the story if there is one, if you really want to fight like a girl, you need to get back up after the man knocks you down, like we’ve been doing, like we’ll keep doing until we don’t have to anymore.
So here I am, fighting every day – anxiety year, the want to just quit and find a new escape. But I don’t want anyone narrating my story for me. No one gets that satisfaction except for me. So I’ll get up tomorrow morning, go for a run, it might be alone, it might be with a running partner. I decide.”
 
Yoko Hartland:
“It was supposed to be a quiet, cool morning run with a little drizzle, but it turned out to be the most horrific, terrifying run that I had ever experienced. It happened between 69th & Cliff Ave to Minnesota Ave before 6am. It was a red Dodge Durango with Washington State license plate, but I couldn’t see the numbers.
They drove over the median and tried to block from the street to my side of the sidewalk. They turned around and towards me. After the incident, the police officer told me that I should have called 911 but at that time I was so scared and ran as fast as I could. I hid between cars and trees so I couldn’t make the calls.
 
To all runners, walkers and bicycle riders, please make sure you have a phone with you, or keep your mace with you. You never know what's coming up. Thank you to my friends who gave me strength with cheers today. Thank God for giving me strength… 
 
I love running. Running is my passion along with meditation and sharing/helping others. My running journey has continued to keep moving forward with smiles.” 
 

Did you hear the story of Kelly Herron and her harrowing experience in a Seattle park on a Sunday afternoon run? She was training for a marathon, four miles into her run and stopped to use a public bathroom at which time she was brutally attacked. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to feel this is extreme, we are hearing more and more stories about women experiencing similar acts of violence, even right here in our own community.
 
The question that often arises is “How do we handle ourselves in these uncomfortable, dangerous situations?” Whether it be obnoxious cat calls, stalking, or outright aggression and violence, it is vital to know our resources and appropriate courses of action. Our goal with this blog series is to highlight not only the people affected and their personal experiences, but steps you can take to keep yourself safe while continuing to enjoy your routine outdoor activities. 
​
Stay tuned to our upcoming posts over the next two weeks for stories from members of our community who have been personally impacted as well as tips from our local authorities on methods of self-defense and how to be proactive.

​This blog post was submitted by contributors Maren Ernst and Carter Gronseth.

Maren Ernst has been a contributor to 605 Running Company for four years. When not working at the shop Maren enjoys riding her bike or motorcycle, painting, reading and spending quality time with her friends and family.
Instagram: @maren_runs_the_605
​
Carter Gronseth has been a contributor to 605 Running Company for three years. When she is not working at the shop Carter embraces a good lake day, spending quality time with family and friends and exploring new adventures.