Fifth Annual Ranney Run Honors Late Mizzou Alumni

On Saturday, Sept. 25, in Rolla, Missouri, the fifth annual Ranney Run/Fun Walk will be held at the Veterans Memorial Park to benefit the new Rolla Animal Shelter. The race is organized by Lauren Ranney, along with her sisters Ellen Ranney and Caryn Ranney, in memory of their parents and grandmother. Sadly, their parents, Bonnie Ranney, MD, and Mark Ranney, DVM, and their grandmother, Mary Ensign, were killed in a head-on collision with a semi-truck in 2015. Long-time servants of Rolla and the surrounding areas as a family physician and obstetrician-gynecologist, and veterinarian, the loss of the Ranneys was felt deeply in the community. The race is always held in late September, paying homage to Mark and Bonnie Ranneys wedding anniversary.

Mark Ranney and his father, Royal Ranney, DVM, were both graduates of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Bonnie Ranny earned her MD degree at Mizzou. Royal, a graduate of the CVM Class of 1964, moved to Rolla and co-founded the Phelps County Veterinary Clinic, which later became the Bishop Avenue Veterinary Clinic. Mark, a graduate of the CVM Class of 1982, moved back to Rolla with Bonnie to partner with his father at the veterinary clinic. The Bishop Avenue Veterinary Clinic was a staple in the Rolla community for nearly 60 years, but closed after the 2015 accident. “My sisters and I were unable to find a veterinarian to take over running the clinic after our father passed, and the clinic and building was sold to a local pet store in 2018,” said Lauren Ranney.

Lauren Ranney said she and her sisters had fallen out of touch with the Rolla community after moving away, but the accident brought them back. “We all moved away for college and careers, but because of the accident, got reacquainted with the Rolla community, since we were visiting every weekend to take care of the estate that our family left behind,” said Lauren Ranney. “Because of that, we realized how much of a great city and community Rolla is, and wanted to help give back like our parents used to.”

Beginning in 2016, the Ranney Run has benefitted multiple organizations and businesses throughout the Rolla community. The first year of the run raised money for Your Community Health Center, a healthcare facility that their mother helped establish, and every year since the donated funds have gone towards the Rolla Animal Shelter that is in the process of being built.

According to Lauren, Rolla needs a new animal shelter. “The old facility is quite small and can’t accommodate as many animals as the community needs,” she said. “We wanted to focus our efforts on the new shelter until the facility is complete, since it has been difficult for the city to make progress on it for the past couple years. We realize how much the new shelter will benefit the Rolla community.”

This year, the Ranney Run is also offering a virtual race for those who can’t attend in-person. The virtual run will feature special awards for those participating. The event will also feature a “Show Off Your Mutt” dog show, awarding contestants for longest tail, longest ears, best trick, best dressed, and others.

Further event information follows:

• Registration (In-person or virtual): Ranney Run 5K/Fun Walk
• Date: Sept. 25, 2021
• Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Rolla
• Race day registration: 7 a.m.-7:45 a.m.
• Race start: 8 a.m.
• Cost: $30 (Includes Ranney Run T-shirt and chip timing)

Those who are interested in volunteering or being a race sponsor can contact Lauren Ranney at laurenranney@gmail.com or call (573)-308-8482. Those interested in supporting the new Rolla Animal Shelter in memory of the Ranneys can click on the donate tab on the registration page or mail a check to the City of Rolla. Checks are to be made payable to the “City of Rolla” with “2021 Ranney Run” in the memo line.

Address:

City of Rolla
Attn. John Butz
Rolla City Administrator
P.O. Box 979
Rolla, MO 65402

By Nick Childress