Bright sunshine and cool temperatures made for a great day for the final Dash 4 Doc 5K race in memory of the late Dr. Bryan McCraw.
More than 65 runners took to the 3.1 mile course with Nestor Anzola crossing the finish line first in a time of 23:24. Ella Bourne took the top female spot with a time of 25:28.
“I’m thankful for everyone coming out here on this cool morning,” Jay Rayborn, McCraw’s son-in-law and one of the organizers of the race, said. “If you knew Dr. McCraw, you knew that he liked to run early. One day, he asked me to join him and he said, ‘Meet me at the mailbox at 3:50 a.m.,’ I never did that again. We probably should have started the race at about 4 this morning in his honor, but we didn’t for you guys.”
Rayborn thanked the crowd and spoke about the race.
“On behalf of the family, I want to say thanks,” he said. “This is the last Dash 4 Doc, this is year seven. It’s hard to believe that it has been about 6 ½ years since he passed away. We’re so glad and honored that you’re here this morning. All of the money raised will go to the American Heart Association and over the last six or seven years, we’ve given between $60,000 and $70,000 between this and the Affair of the Heart that we’ve held. All I can say is thank you guys for a wonderful seven years.”
The idea for the race came in the days following McCraw’s death in May 2011. He was an avid runner and planned to run in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 11, 2011. His love of running inspired his family to organize a memorial 5K race on the same weekend as the New York City Marathon. The inaugural race took place on Nov. 5, 2011. Nearly 350 runners participated in the first year.
Photo by Mark Rogers
