DAVIS, W.Va. – Teams from Tucker County are making a strong showing at this year’s Run For It with 35 Tucker-based teams, each representing their own cause, registered to compete for the more than $97,000 in prize money.
Since the Tucker Community Foundation launched Run For It, a 2k walk/5k run in 2007, it has helped to raise more than $1.5 million to support local organizations and causes working in Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, and Tucker counties in West Virginia and Garrett County, Maryland.
The Run For It race will be held Saturday, Sept. 29 in Davis. The race will be begin at 11 a.m. with the same, classic course starting in front of the Davis Firehall on W.Va. 32 and snaking up and down through the hilly town of Davis before returning to the Firehall’s finish line.
A total of 85 teams from the Foundation’s eight-county service area have registered to compete in this year’s Run For It. Rather than competing for individual gain, each team is running and walking for it to raise money for their team’s chosen charity. More than 1,500 participants are expected to compete.
Thirty veteran teams are returning from Tucker County as well as five new Tucker teams, who will be making their Run For It debut. The new Tucker teams are: Animal Friends of Doggy Sods, captained by Dave Markgraf, and competing to raise money to support Animal Friends’ work helping animals that fall outside the capacity of animal shelters. Captained by Miranda Kessel, GRMC Caregivers is competing to raise money for the Tucker County Senior Center.
The new Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia team is captained by Kim Williams and running for it to support the creation of a snow sports museum in Davis dedicated to preserving the history and artifacts of West Virginia’s snow sport industry. Derek Sliwinski is captaining the new Davis Volunteer Fire Department team, which is competing to raise money for the fire department, which plays a large in role in helping Run For It’s success every year. The final newest Tucker team competing is Team CBC, captained by John Callaway. They are running for it to support Tucker County’s youth through teen fellowship and ministry.
This year’s returning veteran Tucker County teams are: Andy’s Run captained by Karen Evans, ArtSpring captained by Elaine George, Billie G. Armstrong for Pregnancy & Infant Care program captained by Kathy Kotten, Canaan Valley Ski Patrol captained by Ray LaMora, Canaan Valley State Park Foundation captained by Ben Herrick, Cortland Challengers captained by Teresa Lycliter, Cruisin’ Critters captained by Karen Linton, Canaan Valley Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary Power captained by Diane Beall, Deerfield 74 – Katherine Zabriskie CVVFD Fund 2018 captained by Anne Cecilia Smith, Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School – PTO captained by Cynthia Shaffer, EB3 captained by Bink Boury, Five Rivers Public Library captained by Rebecca Moore, Fresh Canvas captained by Glenda Easton, Friends of the Blackwater captained by Kate Leary and Heart of the Highlands Trail System captained by Dan Lehmann.
Additional teams include: Mountain Laurel Learning Cooperative captained by Jocelyn Gaujot, Mountaintop Readers captained by Ivonne Martinez, New Davis Renaissance Group captained by Judy Cronauer, New Historic Thomas captained by Erika Smith, PRO ON TRAC captained by Kenneth Smith, Davis Riverfront Ramblers captained by Doug Martin, Team Boulder Park captained by Ben Hinkle, Timberline Ski Patrol captained by Steve Cvechko, Tucker County Animal Shelter captained by Kim Falls, Tucker County Young Life captained by Chopper Evans, Tucker Runners captained by Michele Mullenax, WV Gold Star Mothers captained by Joel Hannah, WV Highlands Artisans Group captained by Lori Wall, WV Mountain Ministries captained by Brad Spencer, and Highlands Trail Foundation captained by Mary Boyd.
It’s not too late to sign up to join a Run For It team. To register or see all of the participating teams and register online, visit raceroster.com/16461.
The Tucker Community Foundation operates in eight counties – Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph and Tucker counties in W.Va. and in Garrett County, Md. Inspired by the flood of 1985, the mission of the Foundation is to create opportunities for the communities we serve. For more information on the Foundation or to learn more about Run For It call the Parsons office at 304-478-2930, the Davis office at 304-259-5008 or visittuckerfoundation.net.
