By Alex Carrier Special Correspondent
Published: May 8, 2008

The sky was baby blue, the sunshine not too bright, the breeze moderate and the temperatures comfortable.  As if ordered for perfection, Saturday’s First Annual Ruckersville Elementary School 5K Fun Run was the best way to start the day.
A mixed crowd of at least 50 participants gathered in the RES parking lot to await the start.  Most would run by themselves but many ran in groups or as families.  The younger ran with the older and competition was against the clock and not each other.
The 5K course over varied ground included three laps from the front of the school up the hill to Route 33 and down onto the gravel road and back.  The participants praised the challenge of the course and agreed they would compete again next year.
First to cross the finish line in 19.48 minutes was 55-year old retired track and field coach Richard Young of Madison.  Young was not without his Greene connection since his wife is librarian at Nathanael Greene Elementary School in Stanardsville.
The first woman to cross the finish line was Lisa Armstrong with a time of 20.58 minutes.  Armstrong, who ran the race with her husband, had perhaps the most interesting reason for competing. 
The Armstrongs were in Charlottesville from their home in Abingdon to pick up their daughter, a student at UVA. They needed something to do on Saturday morning while their daughter packed so they decided to run the 5K. 
The first of the young crowd to cross the finish line was 6-year-old Joseph Flynn with a time of 23.53.  He was followed by his friend Danny McKinney, also 6, who ran the race in 23.58.  McKinney’s parents and 8-year old sister ran as a family but too slow for the enthusiastic Danny.  The family said they did it for the fun and hoped it would help them get outside more as a family.
In all 49 runners finished the 5K course and crossed the finish line including RES Vice-Principal Larry Hart.  The gossip was he was going to get some ribbing on Monday about the fact he finished behind some of the younger students who go to RES. 
The more than $1,500 raised by the race will go toward a new and improved playground for the school.  Future fundraising events are planned to help with the costs of the much needed improvements.  The new playground will give more children better access.  With the school’s emphasis on overall education, a new playground helps fill the need for more exercise.
“I want to thank everyone who came out and contributed in some way,” said Dana Watson, event organizer.  “We were very successful and most of the runners said they would come back next year.
“It was definitely a family event and we had several families who ran together.  We had many people from Ruckersville but we also had people come in from as far away as Richmond,” said Watson.  “There’s no doubt we will do it again next year.”