After Vehicle Break-Ins, Nebraska Runners Band Together to Make Their Trail Safer – Runner’s World

By Staff 5 years ago

After Vehicle Break-Ins, Nebraska Runners Band Together to Make Their Trail Safer  Runner’s World

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Courtesy of Joe Sutter

For Joe Sutter, 45, running along Zorinsky Lake is a weekly routine. Resting in a suburb outside of Omaha, Nebraska, the 7.5-mile loop attracts runners from across the metro area looking for a flat, tree-lined route on which to do long runs and tempos.

“It’s a beautiful park in a nice part of town,” Sutter told Runner’s World. “But unfortunately, bad guys have taken advantage of the fact that it seems so safe.”

Sutter—who lives in Omaha and co-directs the Nebraska Marathon with his son, Ryan—said that within the last five years, Zorinsky Lake has become a hotbed for burglars.

“It’s pretty common to come back from a run and see glass in the parking lot from a busted-in window,” he said. “The running joke is that if you come here often enough, it’s only a matter of time until your car’s broken into.”

Unfortunately, Sutter’s luck ran out last year, when he finished a run to find his passenger window punched through. Luckily, he didn’t have anything valuable inside the car, he said.

“Most of us who regularly run there have learned to not keep anything of value on our front seats, like a phone or a wallet,” he said.

One runner who frequents Lake Zorinsky five to six times per week, 2016 Western States 100 champion Kaci Licktieg, recalled a day last winter when she came back to an unpleasant surprise in the parking lot.

“I had parked in an open lot where people drive in and out of constantly. It was a very bitterly cold day and I didn’t think anyone would be out,” she told Runner’s World. “I left my coat, lunch, and some winter gear in sight. I did my run, came back, and saw that my passenger side window was shattered and everything was taken out of my car.”

“Even when there’s nothing visible to steal in the car, they still break in,” Sutter added. “That’s why we had to do something to stop them.”

Sutter and other members of the running community decided earlier this year that the best way to deter the criminals was to install security cameras in each of the parking lots along the trail, so that the Omaha Police Department could access instant, live footage of any suspicious activity.

“We’re partially to blame for this break-in epidemic, because lots of runners, myself included, didn’t reported the break-ins to the police,” Sutter said. “It’s just easier to replace a window for $200 than to try to track down the bad guys. But this is about more than just broken windows. It’s about feeling safe while running.”

After Sutter and other local runners—including many women who often run alone at the park—decided security cameras were necessary, they figured out that outfitting each parking lot with the cameras would cost around $10,000.

To help raise the funds for the cameras, Sutter teamed up with the Omaha Police Department and local running stores to host 5K, 10K, and one-mile races at Zorinsky Lake on Sunday, October 20, with all registration proceeds and donations going toward purchasing the surveillance equipment. The entrance fee for the one-mile and 5K is $15, while the 10K is $20.

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“We won’t be able to raise enough to put cameras in all the parking lots right away, but making one lot more secure will be a huge improvement,” Sutter said. “It’s our job as runners to protect the places we run and take a stand as a community when something’s not right.”

Digital Editor Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner’s World and Bicycling magazines.