Girl Scouts from Troop #1833 and #13092 did a great job of making sure the runners stayed hydrated!
Each year, Partners Aligned Toward Health organizes the Burnsville Fit Families (BFF) 5K with the goal of uniting our community through healthy activity. The 10th Annual Burnsville Fit Families 5K, held on Saturday, May 11th, was a great success! Despite the fact that the weather forecast called for a 90% chance of thunderstorms, the turnout this year exceeded the organizer’s expectations with 227 runners and walkers registered for the event and 178 participants crossing the finish line.
Developing healthy habits at a young age is a great way to make them stick. That’s why youth under the age of 18 run for free! 116 kids were able to participate this year…the highest number of youth participants in the 10-year history of the event! Thanks to generous donations from those who participated in PATH’s “Sponsor a Runner” campaign, 79 of those youth participants were directly sponsored by community members.
Students and “running buddies” from the Clearmont Tiger Tracks running group get ready to run the race!
The race would not have been a success without the many sponsors who provided financial and in-kind support, and the volunteers and partners who came together to manage logistics. In particular, we would like to thank our title sponsor, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, who has been a valuable partner and consistent supporter of community health initiatives in their service area. The Burnsville Police Department, Burnsville Fire Department, Yancey EMS, and many volunteer Course Marshalls helped to keep runners safe on the race course. Staff of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital manned the First Aid Station. First Baptist Church of Burnsville graciously provided access to their Fellowship Hall, and the Town of Burnsville and Yancey County Government allowed PATH to take over the Town Square! Appalachian Family Dentistry and some great volunteers made healthy and delicious smoothies as a post-race treat. Several groups of volunteers, including Girl Scouts from Troop #’s 1833 and 13092 manned water stations to keep our runners hydrated. And finally, thank you to all of the community members who came out to cheer the runners on!
Congratulations to the following top finishers: Steven Proffitt of Burnsville (Top Overall Male Finisher), Katie Little of Johnson City, Tennessee (Top Overall Female Finisher), and Adam Burleson of Spruce Pine (First Stroller Across the Finish Line)! Monkey Business Toy Shop/Something Special Gift Shop, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Eno Hammocks generously donated prizes. Each person who gave it a shot is a winner in our eyes. If you’d like to check out results and photos of this year’s race, click here.
