Run for the River Fans

Getting Ready for the Race

WARMING UP: Kinston runners (from left to right) Rene Herlong, Amy Albritton and Kevin Zoltek, traveled to Washington, NC Mar. 17 to participate in that city's Run for Life 5K race, warming up for Pride of Kinston's Run for the River 8K race set for Saturday (Mar. 24, 2007), and all three came home with winners' medals. Ms. Albritton came in second in the Female Age 30-39 bracket; and Ms. Herlong came in third in the same bracket. Mr. Zoltek came in third in the Male Age 30-39 bracket.

All three will be running in the Pride race which kicks off with a one-mile Fun Run at 8:30 am Saturday at the Neuseway Nature Center. The 8K race, 4.97 miles, begins at 9:00 am, on a course which winds along the Neuse River through downtown, ending adjacent to the Tiffany West Park/Farmers Market vicinity on Herritage Street.

A Welcome to the Race party to honor runners, sponsors and volunteers will be held at 7:00 pm Friday (Mar. 23) at the Hampton Inn. Special guest will be Wilmington, NC runner Scott Johnson who competes in Ironman distance races, running with two new lung replacements, an inspiration to legions of runners everywhere. At 6:00 pm, a briefing for race volunteers will be conducted also at the Hampton Inn.

The Kinston 8000: Run for the River is being sponsored by Pride of Kinston in cooperation with the Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department and the City of Kinston. The event is on the way to becoming a major sporting event for the community.

As of Mar. 19, a total of 72 runners had pre-registered to run in the race, with 59% of those coming from Kinston and Lenoir County. Others will be coming from Oriental, New Bern, Greenville, Goldsboro and from as far away as Dover, DE; Jacksonville, FL; Boston, MA; and Los Angeles, CA.

THE WINNING TICKET?

Kinston resident Becky Hines prepares to purchase a chance to win an 11.9 foot Santee 116 Sport kayak on Run for the River race day, Saturday, Mar. 24, 2007. Selling her the opportunity is Pride of Kinston board member Alison Merritt, who manned the kayak booth at Vernon Park Mall on Mar. 17. The kayak, with a retail value of $899.00, was donated to Pride by Hurricane Kayaks, manufactured in Warsaw, NC to be used as a fundraiser for the Kinston 8000: Run for the River. Raffle tickets, $2 each, will be available on race day. The winning ticket will be drawn at the conclusion of the 8K race during award ceremonies set to be held adjacent to the Tiffany West Park/Farmers Market area on Herritage Street.

Sponsors of the race, through Mar. 20, 2007, include: Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority; Rotary Club of Kinston; Comprehensive Wound Care; Kinston Medical Specialists; Lenoir Memorial Hospital; Kinston Radiological Associates; Minges Bottling Group; Hurricane Kayaks; Coastal Connections; Lenox China; BB&T; Johnson & Perry Family Dentistry; Kinston Head & Neck Physicians and Surgeons; Tands/Bojangles; the little bank; Wallace, Morris, Barwick, Landis & Stroud; White & Allen; Rakesh T. Anand; Frank Sutton; Corporate Resources; Hampton Inn; Fred Antonowich; Kinston Surgical Associates; Davis Wholesale Tire Company; and Anonymous.

Persons interested in additional information can go to Pride of Kinston's website at www.downtownkinston.com, and click on the Things to Do button. Full information and a registration form are available.