Residents from all over the state of Ohio came out the New Lexington High School on Aug. 17 to show their support and raise awareness for Alzheimer’s.
The first Perry County Walk to End Alzheimer’s 5K was declared a success by Jennifer Monroe-Sega, a representative from Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association, Monroe- Sega said, “This exceeded what we were hoping for. It was a great opportunity to connect with the Perry County community to let everyone know about the resources that are available for people effected by Alzheimer’s.”
Steve Thompson, organizer of the 5k, told those gathered, “Even though we have a long way to go, with every step we take, we get closer to ending Alzheimer’s.”
Fifteen teams registered to walk for the event and walked around the track as Stevo the Dj blasted some classic tunes for the walkers to stride to.
In the run, 16 local runners competed in the 5k course. The competitors ranged in ages from 8 to 57. Jeremy Morosko won the race with a time of 23:16. “I heard about this race through work, and thought it would be a good cause to support,” explained Morosko,” As you get older you realize that this is something that could happen to you. You don’t think about it when you are young.”
The runners were surprised by the course, which was a cross-country course that ran along the hills of school, “It was not what I expected. The course was slanted most of the way. We all thought it would be a road course,” commented Kyle Mooney, second place winner. Mooney finished the race in 24:21. He and his sister, Sarah Mooney, ran the race together before he was to leave for his sophomore year of college. Sarah ran the race in 26:40 and came in fourth place.
“We have had a great turn out for the walk, a lot more than we were expecting. I wish there were more runners but we will just have to promote it more for next year,” said Levi Thompson, one of the organizers of the 5k, “Alzheimer’s is one of those things no one talks about. People talk about cancer but Alzheimer’s is swept under the rug.”
The Walk/Run raised $10,287 for Alzheimer’s care and research.
“This event is not just to raise money but to show support for the families who have gone through this,” said Monroe-Sega.
Email at csargel@perrytribune.com
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