Go
Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024

pancake day 2020 logoSpecial to the Leader & Times

 

The field of 15 is officially set for this year’s Pancake Day Race. This year’s field of racers includes a mix of new participants and veteran participants. Meet this year’s racers!

 

Kenia Leyva

Kenia Leyva, wife and mom of three, is ready for her first run in the International Pancake Race! An accountant at Hay Rice & Associates, Chartered CPA, Kenia became the treasurer for International Pancake Day and the International Pancake Day foundation in 2016. She started her running journey shortly after. 

As an asthmatic with no experience, she recently joined a soccer team of mostly 30+ year old inspiring women which is helping her train for the big race! She is ready to test her endurance. Kenia said, “It’s never too late and you’re never too old to become better!” We’re here for it!

 

Tera Arnberger

Tera Arnberger is another first-time runner in the International Pancake Day race! A PE/health teacher at Seymour Rogers, Tera’s students are very excited to hear about her experience in the race and already have her “training”. She works right along side them during PE and stays active keeping up with her 1-year-old at home. Tera has lived in Liberal four years and her family from out of town is all ready to watch her run!

 

Alicyn Carey

Another Seward County Community College student, Alicyn Carey, will make her debut in the international race! Her grandpa, Tim Fowler, has long-served as a Pancake Day board member and Alicyn is ready to “get the whole Pancake Day experience.” Alicyn works for the SCCC Wellness Center and says seeing others working out is giving her extra motivation.

 

Whitney Hay

Whitney Hay, student at Seward County Community College, will make her first appearance this year in the International Pancake Day race. She and her roommate both decided to run together this year. Whitney is preparing by running on the treadmill and eating better.

 

Sarahy Mendez

Sarahy Mendez, a coach for CrossFit Fracas, will be making her return to the International Pancake Day race this year. She previously ran in 2018. Although she does CrossFit training 5x/week, Sarahy said the only thing she plans to do differently this year is, “Have fun and enjoy the moment.” That’s what it’s all about!

 

Morgan Potts

Morgan Potts will be making her second appearance in the International Pancake Day race this year. She also ran in 2019. A teacher at Cottonwood Elementary School, Morgan said she will be pacing herself differently than 2019. Last year she started slow and then had to catch up. She entered the race last year after a friend talked her into it. Morgan said she had a blast, so she is back for round two! Good luck, Morgan!

 

Cindi Martin

Cindi Martin is making 2020 her debut appearance in the International Pancake Day race. Living in Liberal for 30 years, this is something she has always wanted to do. She is preparing for the race by walking, exercising, and keeping an “I can do it” attitude! Cindi said her friends, family, and co-workers at Dillon’s have all been very encouraging.

 

Margarita Biggs

Margarita Biggs is another of our 2020 International Race runners. This will be Margarita’s first time running in the international race! Her daughter, Daisy Marie, is running in the 10-year-old division, making it a family affair. Margarita has lived in Liberal for 28 years and thought this would be a fun challenge for herself. She works for Southwest Medical Center and we know they will be cheering her on!

 

Tessy Barnett 

Tessy has lived in Liberal for more than 20 years. She is married to Cory Barnett and has three children; Tabitha, Corban and Obadiah. 

In her many years of living in Liberal, she has ran the race 20 times. She looks forward to the race every year, and prepares herself mentally and physically by eating healthier and a positive mindset. The best advice she could give to first-time racers is “The best is yet to come! I can’t wait to meet you all who are running with me.”

 

Maria Alba

Maria Alba is one of our runners in the international race this year. This is her 2nd time running. She ran last year and plans to prepare better this year. When asked if she has any advice for first-time racers, Maria said, “Do not be intimidated. Just be confident. It’s not always about winning, but getting the courage to participate and inspire yourself and others.” We couldn’t agree more!

Maria is a Crossfit LV1 Trainer at Crossfit Fracas.

 

Cristina Wesley

Cristina Wesley is another returning racer, having run in the race in 2019. She works as a stay-at-home mom. This year’s Pancake Day will be a bit of a family affair for the Wesleys as her two children, 9-year-old Tyler and 6-year-old Kevin, will be competing in the children’s races. Wesley added her husband, Michael, and children are happy she will be racing again, and said she expects to have a lot of fun rinning in this year’s Pancake Day race. 

 

Brooke Pipkin 

Brooke Pipkin will also be returning for this year’s race, having run in the 2005 and 2014 races. She works in logistics accounting at Conestoga Energy. She has lived in Liberal her entire life and said she is excited to be representing Liberal in this year’s race again with encouragement from her family members. She has been preparing for this year’s race by working on her mental focus as well as running and spending some training time with weight machines as well. She encourages her fellow races to go out and have fun and leave their nerves behind. 

 

Mikayla Knudsen 

Mikayla Knudsen will also be joining this year’s race and has competed in multiple Pancake Day races in the past. She enjoys the overall Pancake Day traditions and has been preparing for this year with regular workouts. Knudsen will also be a bystander, as two of her nephews will be competing in the children’s races. 

 

Jacqueline Acosta 

Jacqueline Acosta is another first-time racer for this year’s race. She was encouraged to enter this year after her sister said she should enter. She works at HeadStart and said she looks forward to having fun being part of this year’s race. 

 

Elian Carrizales 

Elian, who works as a trainer at Crossfit Fracas, just missed out on last year’s deadline to enter the Pancake Day race, so she decided to get her name in the ring early for this year. She said she has gotten a lot of encouragement from friends and family since entering. She has been preparing for this year’s race by working out multiple times a week and running. She is also working on making sure she is mentally ready for the race and said she is excited to see how everything turns out.