Alumni road race raises $5,400 for student scholarships

Published Apr 16, 2019 by

ECU News Services

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A little rain didn’t stop 263 runners from turning out for the 12thannual ECU Alumni Road Race and Fun Run on Saturday. The event raised $5,400 for student scholarships, according to the ECU Alumni Association.

Runners take off from the start line at the ECU Alumni Road Race on Saturday.

Mary Palamatary ’06 won the women’s overall category and said running through campus was the best part of the race. This year’s start and finish was changed to 1st and Reade streets due to construction in downtown Greenville, but the course still wound through the Student Plaza, Wright Circle and around the iconic cupola.
Economics assistant professor Vera Tabakova and maritime studies professor Brad Rodgers run the alumni road race almost every year.
“It’s a nice local run, very scenic,” Rodgers said.
“And it supports a good cause,” Tabakova added.
The alumni association annually awards scholarships to qualified undergraduate students for the following academic year. To date, the alumni association has awarded 297 scholarships totaling nearly $432,000.
“I’m really excited people are willing to come out and support the race and, even in the rain, and have smiles on their faces,” said Shawn Moore, director for scholarship and signature programs.
New faces at this year’s race included the Pactolus Running Club, a group of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students from Pactolus School.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had a running club. We’ve been running once a week since February,” said Blair Driver, an eighth-grade science teacher and ECU alumna who helped start the club.
Driver said the group decided to run in the the alumni road race because “we knew this race would be family-oriented and fun. And it was.”
For more information about ECU Alumni Association scholarships, visit www.piratealumni.com