Article & Photos by: Joe Eddins
Its still pretty cold out this time of the year! Especially in the dark around 5:30 in the morning at Pullman Square in Huntington WV. But that did not stop 492 racers from braving the cold to run in the 4th annual Adam Johnson 3 Mile Run For Success!
Dozens and dozens of volunteers gathered early to set up for the event and block off the race course that stretched 3 miles through the city with the finish line on Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
The fastest racer finished with pace of 5 minutes and 14 seconds per mile! First, second, and third place trophies were given out for each age group!
Over 100 door prizes were on hand from many great sponsors, orgainizations, and restaurants. Some of the sponsors of this year’s event were: First Sentry Bank, Roberts Running & Walking Shop, Bagby,Johnson, & Associates AC, HPT Physical Therapy, Huntington Junior College, C.I. Thornburg Co., Appalachian Power, Benefit Solutions, Pepsi, New Balance, T.R. Johnson & Son Inc., Bulldog Creative Services, & J.E. Design.
The Adam Johnson 3 Mile Run is the major fundraiser for the scholarship fund. The date is always the last Saturday in March. The race took the place of a former run in memory of Tim Wells, another great kid.
2011 marks the fourth year. Instead of the typical 5k Teddy Johnson said, “We took one tenth off to make it different just as Adam would have wanted.”
The first year there were 175 participants and in 2010 entries increased to over 350 and now 2011 has grown even more with a total of 492 racers!
“It is primarily a race, but has developed into a walk also and is being used as a finishing accomplishment to New Year’s resolutions,” says Johnson.
“We have always tried to make the race enticing by giving out extras besides the typical t-shirts,” says Johnson.
The first year it was plastic water bottles, then sport bags, and this year it will be stainless steel water bottles. In 2010 there were over 60 door prizes and has now grown to over 100.
Johnson says, “Our goal is to have this be the largest 3 mile race in the area and we feel confident of accomplishing that since it is the ONLY 3 mile race.”
Monies generated from the race are given out in scholarship form to hand picked recipients. The Adam Johnson Scholorship Fund has given out 5 scholarships so far and plans to give out many more in the years to come. The five stories below are about the recipients thus far.
Stephannie started her high school career skipping school and partying when she felt like it. Her freshman GPA was a 1.6. Her sophomore year she was involved in a life threatening automobile accident. She had multiple broken bones and lacerated organs and a brain injury. She was flown from the scene and later flown to rehab in Va. where her dad never left her side. When she returned back to school it took her three times longer to accomplish a task than others due to her brain injury. Stephannie has amazed everyone with her determination, persistency,and fight. During her senior year her dad and best friend was killed while cutting down a tree. Through all of this Stephannie brought that 1.6 GPA up to a 3.4 for her high school career and graduated with honors. She still struggles with her brain injury and her physical handicaps. She is a freshman at Marshall University majoring in speech therapy.
Ginny’s mom and dad were alcoholics, sometimes locking her and her brother out of the house when they were young. They did their own laundry and cooked their meals. Her parents divorced when Ginny was 4. After a couple of years her mom walked out and Ginny was left with her Aunt (her moms’ sister). At the age of 8, Ginny’s mom died in Virginia. When she was in the 10th grade, her dad also passed away. There are a couple of other circumstances in her life that we don’t need to mention. Despite these life challenges, Ginny graduated with a 3.6 GPA, was President of the Key Club, on the volleyball team and active in FFA. Ginny attends Marshall University studying Forensic Science then wants to join the military, have a family and raise her children to be good citizens.
Nikki’s dad was an alcoholic and often abused her mother. At the age of eight, Nikki kissed her mother goodbye as they “pulled the plug on her” in the hospital. A year later her dad died suddenly right before her eyes. She was taken in by her aunt and moved from Columbus to Chesapeake, Ohio. She had little to no support from her family having to walk a mile to school early in the morning so that she could use the computer. At night she would have to go to the library. Nikki had no phone, no transportation, and no computer. Despite the lack of resources’ Nikki was valedictorian of her high school. In her graduation speech she said that she always wanted to be first in her class and at the end of her junior year she found out she was tied with another student, so she signed up for the hardest classes she could take. Nikki is one determined young lady. She is a freshman at Marshall majoring in Accounting.
Anita got pregnant at the age of 17. She kept it to herself because of her religious background and got married. Her relationship was abusive to say the least. They were on welfare and food stamps as her husband wouldn’t work. She stayed for the kids. Fourteen years later she told her husband she wanted to go to college and he shot his rifle through the floor and said he would kill her if she went to school. She had to put him in jail. She eventually enrolled in a nursing program and in her second quarter clinical her father passed away. Then she had surgery. She didn’t do well on her finals and they told her to come back. She was devastated and quit. She sat out a few years and enrolled at Huntington Junior College where she is about to receive her Associate in Accounting. She has already enrolled at Marshall for her BA in Accounting.
Erin lost her father while in High School which pretty much devastated her. She wakes up every morning thinking of the activities he can’t see her perform. Even though she had to seek help with her struggles, Erin takes on her father’s attitude that success is not measured by money or luxury, but rather who you help on your journey. On one of her recommendation forms it states….Erin has very strong character, honesty, and concern for others. She is a mature young woman who has a deep understanding of how you can help yourself by helping others. Erin has two semesters left to graduate from Marshall with a degree in Speech Pathology.
OVER $6000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS WERE AWARDED IN 2010. THESE ARE THE KIND OF KIDS WE ARE HELPING AND THERE ARE PLENTY MORE.
YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION IS APPRECIATED & CAN BE SENT TO:
Adam Johnson Memorial Scholorship Fund
c/o Teddy Johnson
640 8th Avenue
Huntington, WV
25701
Other information about the Scholarship Fund and the annual 3 Mile Run For Success can be found on their website: www.runforadam.com.
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