EF 5K & Ed Thomas 10K Race of Remembrance

We are celebrating the 11th running of the Race of Remembrance!

In May 2008 an EF5 tornado tore through the town of Parkersburg, IA destroying over 200 homes and over 20 businesses in less than a minute.  Eight lives were lost.  Although the devastation was great, what followed was even greater, an outpouring of help, support and love that met our immediate needs and stayed to rebuild this entire town in about a year.  In May 2009 we hosted our first Race of Remembrance with over 350 runners and walkers to remember what had taken place in our lives and the surmounting good that came out of such a terrible situation.  That first event was the perfect commemoration of our past year, complete with high spirits and lots of rain! We raised over $5,000 for the Parkersburg City Pool that first year with matching funds which helped us raise over $10,000.

 In June 2009, shortly after our first race, the town of Parkersburg experienced another tragedy. To our great sorrow, our High School football coach of 30+ years was tragically killed. With many still recovering from the tornado, the devastation of losing our beloved coach brought yet another difficult challenge for us to face. 

 In May 29, 2010, we ran our second annual EF5K and added a new course:  The Ed Thomas 10K.  The two races not only looked back at what we had come through since the tornado, but also honored a man who we dearly missed. With about 400 participants, this event raised almost $7,000 which was split between the Parkersburg City Pool and the Ed Thomas Family Foundation. 

Since these two tragedies we have continued the race as a remembrance of where we have been and what we have accomplished.  Every single penny has been donated back to organizations that are good for the town and our children. Please help us continue this tradition. 

Over the years these are some of the community projects that have been supported by the race: City pool repair, Park improvement, Diamonds & Fields (http://www.diamondsandfields.com/) & Parkersburg Historical Society.

 We hope you will join us this year on Saturday, May 25, 2019 for another exciting event!