Josh Emery wins first race in leading field at Leprechaun Scurry

COEUR d’ALENE — It’s fitting that the winner of Saturday’s Leprechaun Scurry was wearing bright green shoes.

It helps that Josh Emery is also fast.

The Rathdrum man won his first race as he topped a field of about 125 runners and covered the 5K course in 19 minutes and 42 seconds.

“It feels awesome,” said Emery, who received prizes that included a $50 gift certificate to Fleet Feet in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Emery, wearing a pair of flashy Nike Pegasus Turbo, pretty much led start to finish. He held off a challenge from 10-year-old Kingston Wilson of Coeur d’Alene, who finished in 19:59.

“Little kids were with me for the first mile,” he said, smiling.

“About halfway in I peeked back to see what the competition was doing, and I just stuck with it and kept focusing on the finish line,” Emery said.

The Leprechaun Scurry, which included a 1-mile race, is a fundraiser for the Lake City High School cross country program.

It was a chilly 30 degrees or so, with icy winds, for the two-loop course that started and finished at LCHS. But folks still came dressed in the spirit of the event — green hats, shirts, shorts, tights, socks and even flashing headlights that were green.

Friends and coworkers at UPS, Staci Frank and Marah Kjeldgaard, were both decked out in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17.

Each wore green necklaces and green hats, while Kjeldgaard, a 1996 LCHS graduate and cross country runner, even had green ribbons in her hair.

“We came out to support the team and because it’s fun,” she said.

Mom Jessy Spencer and daughter Lydia Spencer, 9, of Coeur d’Alene, were all smiles as they posed for photos wearing green shirts from the 2018 Scurry.

Each wore a green crown, black tights with four-leaf clovers.

“We love running,” Jessy Spencer said. “It’s a fun race that’s great for kids, and of course, an opportunity to get dressed up,” she added with a laugh.

Inside the LCHS commons for awards and refreshments, Kim Davidson and Kristin Stafford played bagpipes to keep the atmosphere lively.

“It’s so much fun, and we love supporting the school,” Davidson said.

Nicolle Baune, formerly Nicolle Clutter and a standout runner at Post Falls High School, led the women in 22:09, while her son, Blake, 9, edged her in 22:08.

It was their first fun run together.

“I think I did my first fun run in fourth grade and liked it,” Nicolle said. “I was hoping he would have the same experience. I think he did.”

Blake, a medal hanging around his neck, proudly nodded in agreement.

“He did really well,” Nicolle said. “He took off sprinting at the end and I could not keep up.”