OUC Employees Hit the Ground Running at OUC Orlando Half Marathon

Braving a warm and humid morning, 71 OUC employees and family members were among the more than 4,000 participants in the OUC Orlando Half Marathon and Track Shack Lake Eola 5k on Saturday, Dec. 2.

The annual tradition, which started in 1976 and is one of the top road races in the Southeast, takes place in downtown Orlando and starts and finishes in Lake Eola Park.

“I started running the OUC Half Marathon in 2017, and it’s always been a fun and challenging run,” said Nick Smith, Senior Product Analyst in Marketing & New Products, who finished 1,674th overall with a time of 2 hours, 39 minutes. “There’s just something about the energy of the event and getting to run through downtown that makes 13.1 miles not seem so bad.”

A portion of the 71 OUC employees and family members who took part in the OUC Orlando Half Marathon and Track Shack Lake Eola 5k.

During the post-race celebration, participants had the opportunity to enjoy free food and drinks, musical entertainment, giveaways, and more. As title sponsor, OUC showcased a large presence.

From left: Caitlin Osborne, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Nichole Krause, Marketing & New Products Executive Assistant and Patrick Peters, Benefits & Wellness Manager, greeted visitors at the OUC area and handed out giveaways during the post-race celebration.

That presence included the opportunity to tour the Tiny Green House, a 200-square-foot showcase of sustainable living, inspect a Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle from OUC’s fleet, and check out the OUC100 Book Bike, which was created in partnership with the Orange County Public Library and promotes STEM learning and awareness of OUC’s innovative services. To help runners quench their thirst – and reduce the use of plastic bottles – OUC provided fresh H2OUC with the 125-gallon water dispenser called the Water Monster.

The race was broadcast live locally by WESH 2.

“I have been training for the half marathon,” explained Anthony Duran, Senior Account Representative in Customer Experience & Sales. “But when my wife Kiried was able to attend and wanted to walk/run the 5k, I was happy to do that with her and my 14-year-old son, Zavdiel. We as a family are active, and we had a very fun and rewarding experience.”

The Durans weren’t the only OUC family on the course. Bethany Taggart, Executive Assistant to Linda Ferrone, Chief Customer & Marketing Officer, ran the 5k with her 12-year-old son Axel, while her husband David took on the half marathon.

“The event was incredible! Everywhere you turned, there were volunteers handing out refreshments, local residents ringing cow bells and offering encouraging words, and other volunteers. The live music from performers and DJs was probably the best part for me,” said Bethany, adding that Axel was the top performer in her family, placing 4th in his age group. “We absolutely loved our time as a family out there and can’t wait to do it again!” Bethany said.

After the race, participants checked out OUC’s Tiny Green home, an all-electric F-150 Lightning, and the OUC100 Book Bike.

Mimi Layton, Senior Talent Development Specialist, ran the 5k with her husband, Eric.

“We started doing some of the Disney 5ks a couple of years ago for the fun themes, but we found we really enjoy doing them. Now we pay attention to our time and push ourselves to get better with each race. This was our first one in downtown Orlando, and we had a great time. A friend of ours has challenged us to build up to a marathon. Next year you may see us on the half marathon course!” said Mimi.

“I was really excited that OUC gave us the opportunity to do this race. I love to see our presence in the community, and the response people have to us,” said Mimi Layton, Senior Talent Development Specialist, pictured here with her husband Eric.