By ROBERT JUMPER
ONE FEATHER EDITOR
CLYDE – The Lake J 5K Glow Run/Walk was held Friday night, June 9. A total of 142 runners from around western North Carolina, and one from Illinois, enjoyed excellent running and walking weather for the evening event. Leading and tailing and providing a safe environment were members of the Clyde police and fire departments. Runners, including four from Cherokee, gathered at the Clyde Elementary School to kick off the run.
The runners were encouraged to dress in reflective material and to “get creative” with an assortment of glowing accessories provided at the event, such as glow sticks and glow rings. The idea is two-fold; have a fun, unique appearance and be visible to traffic-including fellow runners.
The starter sounded at 8:45pm, and the runners traveled the route that encompassed the downtown area of Clyde. Kendall Toinetta, an EBCI tribal member currently attending Lenoir-Rhyne University, ran the course with a time of 17:40.7, earning her second place overall and taking top honors in the women’s division. Other runners completing the 5K from the Cherokee area included Kendall’s father, Bruce Toinetta, Dawna Paul, and William Cuprak.
Race organizer Misty Brown thanked the runners, volunteers, town and county officials, and sponsors who made the run possible.
The 3-mile run gets its name from Lake Junaluska (Lake J) First Baptist Church, the hosting organization for the event.
