The Fishers Parks Department has welcomed Ginny Zimmerman as the new Geist Half Marathon Race Director and Culture of Health Ambassador.
Zimmerman has been with the Fishers Parks Department for the last 5 years prior to hopping into this new role. With the Geist Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, happening again this year on September 16, Zimmerman shared that her passion for running and her background in the Parks Department makes her excited to take on this new role! “When I found this role, I thought it was a really great way to fuse my community engagement experience with some of the passions I have outside the workplace.”
The culture of health in Fishers and the Geist Half Series are tied together in many ways. According to Zimmerman, Fishers is a very healthy city statistically when you look at it compared to the neighboring cities due to our very active community.
“We have tried to elevate the Geist Half experience and provide a lot more community tie-ins with having the Fishers Running Club come on and really try to get a lot of local businesses to support through sponsorships,” she stated. “The Geist Half Marathon really ties in with the culture of our city’s health initiatives because we are trying to give people a very accessible and hyper-local race that they can immediately jump into.”
Jake Reardon McSoley is the current Director of Recreation and Wellness for the City of Fishers, and states with this being the second year the city has taken on the Geist Half Series, that registration has been significantly higher than where it was at this time last year.
“We are happy to announce we are bringing back the 10K because it is clearly a popular option that a lot of residences are excited about. We are excited to grow partnerships as well as grow all three of the distances, the 5K, 10K and the half.”
The Geist Half Series has an impact on the culture of health in Fishers with it being the 16th consecutive year of this race series. McSoley shared that a lot of people are streakers of the half marathon and take pride in doing the race every year. Overall, he wants this community wide event to be special and fun for everyone within the Fishers community and for Visitors.
This year’s post-race party will look different this year as well. Zimmerman wants a more inclusive environment where spectators and participants can both celebrate together after the race, so it feels more like a community celebration.
To get involved with all of the fun happening this fall, register for the 16th annual Geist Half Marathon Series at geisthalf.com.
Lindsey Wormuth is a Public Relations and Community Engagement intern for the City of Fishers. She grew up in Noblesville, Indiana and is currently a Senior at The University of Indianapolis. Lindsey is majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. At UIndy, Lindsey is a part of the Womens Track and Field team. Outside of her internship, you can find her shopping, running, or spending time with friends and family. She loves the Fishers Farmers Market and all the different things Fishers has to do!