Inaugural Hair of the dog run yields successful turnout
More than 600 ambitious individuals got 2012 off to a positive start this New Year’s Day with the 1st Annual Hair of the Dog 5K and 10K runs in Bethany Beach, the newest fundraising effort assembled by the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation (QRCF).
Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark
Runners take off in Bethany Beach on Sunday, Jan. 1, for the inaugural Hair of the Dog 5K/10K?run. All proceeds from the event benefitted the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation.
With well more than the expected 200 runners taking part in the Jan. 1 run, the numbers of registrants had kept climbing in the months ahead of the runs, up until minutes before participants took their mark.
The 10K runners hit the streets of downtown Bethany Beach first, starting about 9:30 a.m., while the 5K registrants – some accompanied by man’s best friend – followed shortly afterward. In all, close to 650 runners participated in the inaugural run, which was followed by a post-race celebration and brunch at Mango’s on Bethany Beach’s boardwalk.
The morning also preceded the 16th Annual Exercise like the Eskimos, a fundraising New Year’s Day plunge into the Atlantic Ocean, based in Bethany Beach.
“We couldn’t be happier with the turnout,” said Hair of the Dog run organizer and former QRCF president and chair Rick Hundley. “Everyone at Quiet Resorts helped get the word out, from our Facebook page to signage around town. Everyone really came together. The nice weather we had didn’t hurt, either.”
A mild, near-60-degree day with a slight northbound wind served up pleasant conditions, compared to the temperature drop the region experienced the very next day.
“Anytime you have a first-year race,” said Hundley, “you really expect to build on it before you raise a lot of money, but with sign-ups from pre-registrants and day-of registrants, and revenue still coming in from sweatshirt sales, we were able to raise approximately $17,000, and that money goes back to QRCF.”
The money raised by the QRCF returns to the community, in the form of grants for local organizations and scholarships for the area’s youth.
“The course was a lot of fun,” Hundley added. “After the 10K runners started, they looped back and the 5K-ers were cheering them on before they took off. Finishing the run on the boardwalk was also a great part of the morning.
“We had a lot of help, too, from great volunteers,” he noted. “The fire departments, police and EMS crews were all on hand to ensure the safety of our runners. Everything went off without a hitch.”
The turnout and success of the run, the first fundraising effort of its kind for the QRFC, has already sparked some new ideas for similar events. Pending the foundation’s approval, Hundley noted, talks for a spring-time run are already in the works.
For more information about the 1st Annual Hair of the Dog Run and the Eskimo Plunge, including links to results and photos, find them on Facebook. For more information about the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation, including upcoming events, visit www.qrcf.org.
