Love In Stride: Couple Shuffle Brings Runners To Turkey Mountain

Love is in the air at Turkey Mountain for the Valentine-themed Couple Shuffle race.

Race Director Cody Pate said despite the name of it, the race is for everyone, not just couples.

“You get such a range of them. You get people that are a little more competitive and want to do some training and then you get folks that come in strollers and kids and just to do something with the family on the weekends,” he said.

Mitch Rines and Colby Hemphill said they’re avid runners.

“I try to find a race every weekend, I’ve done five or six marathons,” said Rines. 

“I get up every morning and I walk in the mornings before I run, so it's like a routine every day,” Hemphill said. 

They were both at the front of the pack for the 10k run and engaged in a fierce battle for first place.

“He was on my tail the entire race and forced me to run one of my best races, so I hope I pushed him, he pushed me,” Rines said. 

For Crystal Garcia, running 5ks was a goal of hers this year.

“I was like ‘Oh my gosh this is great you don’t have to run the whole time?’,” she said. 

And she now gets to share it with her husband, Jerry.

“We always use everything as date night, ever since our girls were little,” Crystal said. 

They say they stayed side by side the whole time and navigated the course with the same teamwork they’ve implemented during their 20 years of marriage.

“It's one of the things that we get to push each other, we know where we’re weak and so we both balance each other out,” said Jerry.

The event helped highlight the importance of support...both from loved ones and from total strangers. 

“I’m glad we got to race,” said Hemphill to Rines as they shook hands. 

Running on love and healthy competition.