More than 400 people started Thanksgiving in the Race for Grace
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local Thanksgiving tradition continues in downtown Zanesville with the 18th annual Race for Grace.
Participants for the 5k run and 1 mile walk lined up at 8:30 Thursday morning at Grace United Methodist Church in the freezing temperatures to take part in an annual tradition for a local cause. Proceeds from the Race for Grace benefit Eastside Community Ministry’s Choice Food Pantry and Noon Rotary’s Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Program.
“It’s always good to come out and, you know, support a local event like this on the holiday. So, always try to make it out here every year,” said Kyle Anderson, who ran in the 5k. “Everybody has a lot of plans on Thanksgiving so it’s just good to see everybody get out here and take a little time and be active and help an important organization here in the community.”
The Race for Grace event was presented by Grace United Methodist Church, Eastside Community Ministry, and the Rotary Club of Zanesville. Race director Matt Schreiber said that it even with the cold weather, the event is still seeing a great turn out.
“This is my fourth year being the race director and it’s grown significantly. Our numbers are up this year, over 50%. Last year we had about 250, we’re up to about 450 this year so to see the community come out Thanksgiving morning, support the causes it’s really nice to live where we live,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber said he loves seeing the community support and help from 40 local sponsors like South Town Gym, Genesis Healthcare Systems, and AAA Maintenance.
