Isn’t it supposed to be warm with frequent rain in early May? I’m cautious about complaining but the rain has been so stingy that not much is usual about this spring. Except that the Salisbury Rowan Runners keep rolling on with plenty of great activities.

    May has already started with the Girls on the Run Celebration 5K at Salisbury Community Park on Saturday, May 2^nd. True to form, a chilly breeze and a total of 48 drops of rain landed on the whole park. This Thursday, the next event is the Special Olympics Torch Run on May 7th. Managed by the Salisbury PD, the approximate 5-mile controlled pace run is set to leave The Forum about 10am on the way to Spencer. There will be a stop to meet Special Olympics athletes and local dignitaries at Bell Tower Green Park, and an important bathroom opportunity as well, before the final leg to Spencer begins. The pace will be limited to 12-minute miles. Any SRR member is welcome, and the entry fee is the purchase of a $25 commemorative shirt. Some of the SRR members participating will include Joel Whittington, Amber Bishop and Ellen Meissner.

    Then, just a day later, we jump in at the Main Street Challenge 5K in China Grove on Friday, May 9^th. Home of the fastest 5K run in NC history, the race starts at 8pm. A Tot Trot and Fun Run kick things off. They tried to get Wayne Crowder to be the official starter, but another Elvis impersonator event took priority. They had to settle for a lesser-known local person to handle these responsibilities.

     Next, we get back to regular racing at East Rowan High School and the Ed Dupree 5K and Fun Run on May 16th. Always fun, the run/walk has a start and finish on the track and proceeds will go to the Ed Dupree Scholarship Fund and Novant Health Hospice. The race is hosted by the Dupree family.

     And finally for the month, on May 23^rd, is the Cathy Griffin Realty Chillin’ to the Bare Bones 5K and Fun Run at Overton Elementary School. This is an SRR race and will require lots of volunteers. If you can help, you’ll get a shirt, ice cream and a chance at door prizes. With a little luck, we’ll get another nice day for this event. There will be a much larger inventory of ice cream and popsicle choices this year, all arranged by World Class race director Wayne Crowder and his assistant Lynn Furr. Get there early and be one of the lucky ones to possibly get a photo with both of these SRR icons. All proceeds go to Relay for Life.

     June has two races, the Myles for a Mission 5K and Fun run at Grace Lutheran Church on June 13^th and the Shiloh Missions 5K and Fun Run at Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith on June 27^th. SRR Treasurer Luann Fesperman is the race director at Shiloh.

     While some of our activities will be less frequent as warm weather approaches, others may be more frequent. I have been notified that we will likely get better communication from the Rowan Helping Ministries staff concerned with lunchtime meal serving. SRR has been actively involved with this service since the beginning of Covid and recently has been led by RHM Volunteer of the Year Matthew Weaver’s effort. If you would like to join the lunch serving team or have questions, please let me know.

    Steve Clark is building his dragonboat team for the August 22^nd event on High Rock. Be active with the club for the opportunity to join in.

    Don’t just be willing to wait for your opportunity to talk, be willing to work while you wait!

     See you on the roads, David