Parent to Parent race raises $3,000 for local families

The Charles R. Duke Race for Families held Oct. 27 at the Boone Greenway raised $3,000 for local families.

The run/walk and roll event was a fundraiser benefiting Parent to Parent Family Support Network — High Country, a program that supports families who have children with special needs.

Parent to Parent began 25 years ago, with support from Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education, the Children’s Developmental Services Agency and the Family Support Network of North Carolina, and now serves families in seven counties in the High Country.

Parent to Parent secured U.S.A. Track and Field certification of the 10K course, and 19 runners participated in the town’s first certified 10K event.

Boone’s Ray Russell won the event with a finish time of 46:01. Jack Kwong of Boone and Brad Johnson of Boone finished second and third overall. The top three female 10K runners were Christin Smith of Boone with a time of 49:19. Rebekah Saylors of Boone and Wendy Frye of Maiden came in second and third.

The 5K had 72 participants and was won by Brady Pearce of Boone, with a time of 20:19, followed by Robert McMahan of Bakersville and Jonathan Thacker of Bakersville. Lisa Freeman of Boone was the top female 5K runner with a time of 24:05, followed by Natalie Tresslar of Kannapolis and Olivia Thompson of Mooresville in second and third. The youngest participant was 5-year-old Alex Powell.

Additionally, the event included a one-mile fun walk/roll, kids activities, a costume contest for humans and dogs and lots of prizes. The event had participants ranging in age from infants to grandparents age 78 and drew participants from as far away as Chapel Hill.

For more information about Parent to Parent or to see the complete list of runners and finish times, visit http://parent2parent.appstate.edu or call (828) 262-6089.