By Tim Gearhart

For The Tribune

 

RUSSELL, Ky. – While a basketball coach from East Carter High School was burning up the 10K course, a Huntington attorney was staking her claim to a family tradition in Saturday’s 38th annual East Greenup County Kiwanis Club Run By The River.

Meanwhile, a pair of teenagers from Salt Lick and South Shore, Ky. took home the winning trophies in the 5K race.

In spite of the heat and humidity, Grayson’s Bradley Cherry completed the 10K course in 37:13, nearly 6 and a half minutes ahead of second place finisher David Rann, 60, of Ironton (43:36).

Cherry, 33, works at Grayson Rural Electric and coaches basketball at East Carter. He is the head coach of the junior varsity squad and an assistant varsity coach.

He said he runs 30 to 35 miles a week and has a standing challenge to his teams: He’ll buy dinner for any who can beat him in a road race. He hasn’t lost that challenge yet.

The winner of the women’s 10K was Elizabeth Duncan, 30, an attorney with Anspach Law in Huntington, who follows in the footsteps of her father, David Duncan, who has won several Run By The River 5K and 10K trophies over the years, the last one a 10K in 2004.

“It was hot,” Elizabeth Duncan said. “And it was slow.”

Her time of 53:25 was a bit longer than normal for the women’s division.

“I’m just happy to have finished it,” she said.

Rebekah Skaggs, 28, of Grayson was runnerup with a time of 53:33.

As for the 5K mens winner, McNabb, who will be a senior at Bath County High School next year, he made it two in a row. He won this year’s race with a time of 19:44, 8 seconds less than last year’s pace.

Echoing Duncan’s sentiments about the humidity, McNabb said, “the scenery got me through it.”

The men’s runnerup was another teen, Aaron Lovell, 14, of Evansville, Ind., with a time of 21:15.

Meanwhile, Adkins, at 13, is establishing herself as a force in the running world, having already notched five other racing victories. She is an 8th grade student at McKell Middle School.

Women’s runner-up was Larisa Smith, 38, of Ashland with a time of 26:08.

Bridges Christian Church took the top trophy among faith-based groups. Rose Hill Missionary Baptist was runner-up.

The results of the father/son competition were: Lanny Fraley and Anthony Fraley, winners; Wayne and Eli Barnhill, runner-up. Mother/daughter results were: Jody Norman and Alicia Norman, winners; Mary Ann Boggs and Taylor Rene Boggs, runners-up.

Proceeds from the races are used by the Kiwanis Club to provide scholarships for students who belong to the organization’s Key Clubs in Greenup County, to finance the needs of students through the family resource centers, to provide food baskets to families at Thanksgiving and many other youth oriented projects.