Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
The weather couldn’t have been better Saturday for the Don’t Run With Scissors 5K/one mile run/walk. The inaugural event was held at the Sallas Mahone Elementary School. People of all ages came out to show their support for the art programs at S.L Mason and Sallas Mahone.
Tracy Cannister, counselor at sallas Mahone, said there was an unprecedented turnout. “We had over 400 people to pre-register and approximately 500 showed up,” Cannister said.
Sallas Mahone Principal Gary Glover said he hopes that next year is even bigger and better.
Teachers from Sallas Mahone and S L Mason also competed in the 5K/one mile event. Kindergarten teacher Renu Gupta only participated in the fun run, she brought a host of friends wth her.
“She really did a whole lot,” one friend said. “She came to pick all of us up so we wouldn’t be late; she called to remind us throughout the week, and she came by our houses to collect money for the art program. She really cares about her school.”
The day’s event wasn’t without minor injuries. Toby Wilkey, 11, had a small collision with another runner. He was trying to pass another runner and ended up tripping. “I did a Superman glide across the ground,” he said. Wilkey didn’t cry, but he did receive a scraped knee.
For most people, the day was about fun, but it turned into a competition for Samantha Little, 8. “At first I wanted to see if I could do the 5K, but then I ended up beating my brother Lucas and my sister’s 18 year-old boyfriend,” Little said with a giggle.
In addition to the races, there was an art exhibit from some of the students and a silent auction of students’ work. Chic-Fil-A sponsored the event and gave out coupons to all the participants.
The overall 5K winner in the men’s department was Scott Gardner, finishing in 17:32. The women’s overall winner was Ashley Powell, finishing at 20:56. Eleven-year-old Chance Roe from Pine Grove Middle School was the overall winner for the one mile run, and Milan Sturgis, 8, won for the female division.
A previous article said art teacher Paul Brown is a teacher at S.L. Mason. He is, in fact, a teacher at Sallas Mahone.
