Seventy-two runners from throughout the county participated this past Saturday in the fourth Annual Oak Ridge Schools Stomp Out Tobacco 5k. The focus of the event is to promote physical activity within the Oak Ridge/Anderson County community and raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco. The male overall winner was Jefferson Middle School student Steven Chavez with a time of 22:59.3. The female overall winner was Woodland Elementary Kindergarten teacher Rebecca Therrien with a time of 24:01.3.
The 5k took place at beautiful Melton Lake Park along the greenway. This event is a collaboration of Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated School Health and the Active Anderson Healthier Community initiative. Anderson County is among 100 locations across Tennessee designated as a Healthier TN Community by Governor Bill Haslam. Through this designation, the #ActiveAnderson coalition works to make the quality of life better in our state, one community at a time by promoting simple, free, and effective ways to help friends and neighbors be more active, eat nutritious food, and stay away from tobacco.
We would like to thank our sponsors: Anderson County Health Department, ASAP of Anderson County, Oak Ridge Track Club, Aramark, #ActiveAnderson and Chick-fil-A. The generosity of our sponsors allows the opportunity for all Oak Ridge School students and staff to participate in the event free of charge. We would also like to thank our amazing volunteers: Morgan & Tracy Paul, Dorn Kile, Steve Barber, Joy Martin, Katie Bolling, Katelynn Olvey, Becca Therrien, Stacey Pratt, Linda Davis, Kerry Tankersley and the Chick-fil-A cow for all of their hard work. We would also like to thank the City of Oak Ridge Parks & Recreation Department, Oak Ridge Police Department and the runners and walkers who participated in this annual event!
Tennessee Coordinated School Health connects physical, emotional and social health with education through eight inter-related components. This coordinated approach improves students’ health and their capacity to learn through the support of families, communities and schools working together. Coordinated School Health works with many partners to address school health priorities. For further information, images, and 5K race results, please visit www.oakridgetrackclub.org or www.ortn.edu. –Submitted by Jen Laurendine
