Braving cooler weather, walkers & runners of the first Gobble Wobble 5K & 1 Mile took to the streets on Saturday, November 23rd in support of Manna House food pantry.
A partnership with the United Way of West Ellis County & Manna House, the event was started to promote an active, healthy living lifestyle and support local efforts to feed the hungry during the Thanksgiving season. Nearly 300 participants registered and ran against hunger on race day. Several groups actively supported the race including the Rowdy Runners of several Midlothian ISD elementary schools and the Midlothian Running Club. Other activities outside of the race included music by DJ Madness, large inflatable turkeys and guest appearances by Batman, Spiderman & the Gobbler Turkey. The Turkey led the race in a jeep provided by the Ellis County Jeep Club.
United Way’s executive director and race director Kasey Cheshier, a marathoner himself, ran the longer race and then stood at the end high-fiving participants as they crossed the finish line. He stated, "We were so excited to bring this high-quality event to Midlothian and am excited about the turnout from the community during the first year. Likewise, I was thrilled about the support raised for an amazing organization here in the region that is doing very important work... Manna House."
Race award winners for the 5K included Virgilio Martinez of Waxahachie , who was the "Overall-Male" champion with an amazing time of 15:50 minutes (a 5:06 min average per mile). A thirteen year old, Jordynn West was the "Overall-Female" winner. Michael Helms of Ovilla won the "Masters-Male" division and Christy Rollins of Midlothian won the "Masters-Female" award. The elite race is designed to attract some of the best runners from throughout the region and they showed up during the first year.
The race benefits Manna House which is a community organization who strives to give families a helping hand, empowering them to rise above their immediate crisis with a sense of dignity. The Gobble Wobble race committee is excited to announce the community even raised $11,000.
Support from sponsors helped to make the event a huge success. Thanks to Jyro Signs, Baylor Scott & White of Waxahachie, Atmos Energy, Rally House, the United Way of West Ellis County, A Fairchild CPA, RunUnited, Texas Cryoworks and Wellness, Altus Emergency Center, Courtyard Marriott, Gerdau, Main Street Gym, Midlothian Mirror, Movin’ Pictures, MT Training Center & Pinnacle Bank for their support of the event.
Wonderful volunteers also contributed to the success of the event as they willingly provided guidance on the course, cheers, drinks for thirsty runners and much more. They included the Midlothian High School Pantherettes and student council, the Boys & Girls Club of Waxahachie, First Baptist Church of Midlothian small groups and Manna House board members. Renee Elliott of Midlothian Heritage High School who recently finished in the top ten at the 4A UIL Cross Country State Meet was the honorary race starter for both the 1 mile and 5k races. Jim Norris of MISD, City of Midlothian Mayor Richard Reno and Executive Director of Manna House, Sissy Franklin handed out awards to participants at the end of the race.
Race committee members included Norma & Craig Belcher, Marty Brasfield, Kasey Cheshier, Meredith & Peter Chase, Justin Coffman, Sissy Franklin, Crystal Gaither, Anna Hammonds and Mike Marshall. All these individuals played a vital part in making the event a success. The committee is also extremely grateful to the City of Midlothian & the Midlothian Police Department for the partnership & support of the fundraiser.
Race Director, Kasey Cheshier added "The Gobble Wobble truly demonstrated the best of the community and it's amazing to see so many come together to support those individuals in a time of need."