After watching her mother participate in Farmville's annual High Bridge Trail Half-Marathon Longwood senior, Carrie Zimmerman, decided she wanted to volunteer.
“We carried water over to the tables and set up the food area,” Zimmerman said. “We (also) directed people over to the food and handed out tee-shirts.”
On Saturday, Sept. 9, Farmville residents and Longwood students gathered for the fourth annual High Bridge Trail half-marathon and 5K run. The half-marathon began at 7:30 a.m., and the 5K followed at 8 a.m.
Preparations for the race, however, started before the sun rose, with some volunteers arriving at 6 a.m. to set up.
Zimmerman and fellow Longwood volunteer Lauren Gaines arrived at 6:45 a.m. for setup, then stayed until the end of the race.
Gaines said the race was a perfect opportunity for the pair to get the service hours required by their sorority.
Toward the 3-hour mark, there was an awards ceremony. The top three runners in each age group were awarded with special medals, though all of the runners also walked away with participation medals.
Dawn Walker, a class of ‘94 Longwood alumna, was one of the top runners in her age group, with a time of 2:12:11. She now lives in Richmond, but returns to Farmville to run both the High Bridge Trail Marathon and the Heart of Virginia marathon in the spring.
While the race was the main aspect of the event, there were more activities for racers and spectators to enjoy as well. Vendors from businesses around the community set up booths to sell goods and advertise their services.
There was also a raffle with prizes donated by Farmville stores and businesses. Some of those prizes included commemorative Farmville wine glasses, a round of golf at the Farmville Municipal Golf Course and a Town of Farmville umbrella “for when it starts raining with all these hurricanes,” joked the prize announcer.
