Walk the Line 5K grows with change in schedule

  • Runners take off from the start line in the Walk the Line 5K in McCaysvile. The race, part of the Riverwalk Run Series, takes competitors across the Toccoa River into Tennessee then back into Georgia in the two-state event.
    Runners take off from the start line in the Walk the Line 5K in McCaysvile. The race, part of the Riverwalk Run Series, takes competitors across the Toccoa River into Tennessee then back into Georgia in the two-state event.

    The Walk the Line 5K, one of the races in the Riverwalk Run Series, brought over 160 runners and walkers to McCaysville Saturday, July 15, to traverse two states and two bridge.

    “It was a smashing success,” Matt Cole, the organizer of the series of races, said.

    Cole explained the primary goal of the nonprofit run series is to draw visitors to McCaysville to shop, dine and unwind.

    Walk the Line has traditionally been held to coincide with McCaysville’s Independence Day fireworks. However, due to increasing visitor attendance on that day, the event was moved to the third Saturday in July this year. Cole said there was concern the move would lead to fewer participants, but the opposite happened. The July 15 event drew more runners than its predecessors the previous two years. “This was fantastic news for our local businesses,” Cole said.

    This years runners represented not only Georgia but Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas.

    Race results showed Eric Woods of Morganton as the top local finisher, coming in 15th overall with a time of 24:10.2.

    Other local runners in the top 33 of finishers were John Spaulding of McCaysville, Anthony Rivera of Mineral Bluff, Jonathon Floyd of Mineral Bluff, Kery Wilson of Morganton, Kyle Manners of Blue Ridge, Kelly Thomas of Epworth, Cayden Cantrell of Blue Ridge and Jeff Himebaugh, also of Blue Ridge.

    The next race in the Riverwalk Run Series if the Big Foot Boogie, scheduled for October 28 at 2 p.m.