18th Annual Hickory Charity Chase Half Marathon & 5K
The 18th Annual Hickory Charity Chase Half Marathon and 5K races were run this past Saturday, April 13th, under beautiful clear skies and cool temperatures. Other than occasional gusts of wind, conditions were ideal for running. One hundred seventy people registered for the Charity Chase Half Marathon and one hundred fortyfive actually ran the race. One hundred people registered for the Charity Chase 5K with ninety-two running. To show what people are capable of doing and the range of participation, three ten-year-old runners and one seventytwo-year-old runner ran in the 5K, while an eleven-yearold and a seventy-two-yearold participated in the Half Marathon. In announcing the winners and handing out trophies, Charity Chase Co-Chair and Race Director Chad Bolick thanked the runners for their participation, making possible the raising of money for local non-profits.
Aki Tsuchida of Hickory was the winner of the Half Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes and 14 seconds (1:19:14.5), six minutes faster than last year’s winner. Eva Cronin, also of Hickory, was the Female winner in the Women’s Division with a time of 1 hour, 44 minutes, and 59 seconds (1:44:59.4). In the Men’s Division, and overall, Dustin Pitts and Barry Thomas, both from Hickory, were the second and third place runners, respectively. In the Women’s Division Emily DeVivo of Conover and Amber Shiflet of Hickory were second and third, respectively.
In the Charity Chase 5K the overall winner was Samuel Abernethy of Hickory with a time of 19 minutes and 42 seconds (00:19:42.3). Nicole Arnot of Hickory was the top Female runner in the Women’s Division and fourth overall with a time of 23 minutes, 58 seconds (00:23:57.9). In the Men’s Division, as well as overall, Greg Stumpf of Mooresville, NC and Alex Debettencourt of Hickory
were second and third, respectively. In the Women’s Division Pyper Cable of Hudson, NC was second and fifth overall, while Mitzi Cunningham was third. Ten-year-old Ruby Cunningham placed fourth in the Women’s Division and eighth overall.
Charity Chase has raised approximately $400,000 for local charities over the past 18 years, and for many groups in Catawba County it is their primary or sole source of funding. Sixteen volunteer groups provided volunteers to stage the event, considered the premier running event for our region, and split the net proceeds based on the volunteer hours each group contributes. Recipients of grants will be published later when checks are distributed. Local businesses and individuals provide cash donations for distribution to charities as well as in-kind contributions of materials and services needed to stage the event. President Jeff Eudy of The Rotary Club of Catawba Valley, sponsoring organization for Charity Chase Half Marathon & 5K, said, “The generosity of our donors in their support of this event made possible social, educational, and cultural opportunities for children, youth, and families that would otherwise not be available. Thank you.”