Kiester kilometers
Published 9:00 am Sunday, June 24, 2012

Runners participating in the Kiester Days 5K Run/Walk take their first strides Friday evening on State Street in Kiester. The walk was in honor of Lori Schumann. -- Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
KIESTER — Heading south on Minnesota Highway 22, motorists enter a town with a population of 500. And this weekend, they discovered a town buzzing with activity.

Two women smile Friday as onlookers tell them how many laps they had to run. The route of the Kiester Days 5K Run/Walk didn't venture out of the town and was completely on city streets. -- Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
On Friday evening, there was a car show displaying classic automobiles and modern favorites. At the other end of town was cow chip bingo, where a bingo is determined by cow pies. And at the intersection of State and Fifth Street, was the Kiester Days 5K Run/Walk, an event held in honor of the late Lori Schumann.

A daughter rushes out to meet her mother at the finish line of the Kiester Days 5K Run/Walk on Friday. --Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
Kiester For A Cure began shortly after in 2009. Together they create fundraisers for the local scholarship fund for college-bound United South Central High School graduates. The 5-kilometer event and a November soup supper are some of those fundraisers.
“The $750 scholarships go to two deserving USC graduates each year,” Lohberger said.

A pair of yellow-clad runners cross the finish line together Friday at a 5-kilometer run held as part of Kiester Days. -- Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
Schumann lost her battle to cancer on Nov. 21, 2010. KFAC started this particular 5K run/walk in 2011 in her honor. They had 63 participants the first year, most of which were walkers.

Two runners approach the finish line Friday during a 5k run at Kiester Days. -- Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
“Lori was my friend, and I’m glad to walk for her,” said Diane Heaney, a Kiester resident and choral director at Albert Lea High School.
Fans and family members set up lawn chairs along the streets and in yards to cheer on the racers. Linda Willaby started the race with a “Go!” shouted into the megaphone.

Left to right, Lucas Malimanek, Dylan Baumann, Emily Mantor and Lana Bauer were the top four finishers in the Kiester Days 5K Run/Walk. Baumann was first and Malimanek second among men, and Mantor was first and Bauer second among women. -- Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune
Finishers received a bottle of water and a warm welcome from the crowd after they crossed the finish line. The last walker crossed the line in just under an hour.

Left to right are Layla Schumann, Tony Schumann, Melissa Schumann, Lacey Schumann, Linus Cuchetti and Tony Cuchetti. Tony and Lacey Schumann are the son and daughter of the late Lori Schumann, who succumbed to cancer in 2010. --Colleen Thompson/Albert Lea Tribune