Sanders eager to roll out red carpet again

Published 11:06 pm Saturday, October 18, 2014

David Sanders calls the event his “baby.”

Pam Cudd doesn’t know if her organization could survive without it.

Micah Ward travels nearly 1,400 miles each fall to make sure he doesn’t miss it.

And next Saturday they will all be a part of it — the Dalton Red Carpet Half Marathon, which begins and ends in downtown Dalton and covers 13.1 miles around the city.

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful race,” said Sanders, the race’s director. “We really try to make the race better every year and we try to make it a better experience in every aspect of the event.”

The event is entering its fifth year, and as usual the day’s activities will include a 5K (3.1-mile) race for those wanting to participate but not run the half marathon distance, as well a 2K (1.2-mile) course that’s geared toward children. The half marathon and 5K begin at 8 a.m., while the 2K is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Race awards will be given to the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each age group. First place overall for male and female, male and female Masters (40 and older) and male and female Grand Masters (50 and older) will receive additional awards.

Registration is available at daltonredcarpethalfmarathon.com through midnight Tuesday. Registration will be at the Bradley Wellness Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. Those waiting until the day of the race can register at the start line on King Street beginning at 7 a.m.

The half marathon began as a for-profit race in 2010 and all proceeds went straight into the pockets of promoters and organizers. Sanders — who has served on the race’s organizing committee since the first year — didn’t believe that reflected well on Dalton, and he wanted to make it a point to give back to the community rather than take from it.

So in 2011, Sanders decided that the race should be a fundraiser for what he felt most passionate about — today’s youth.

“I just love children, especially after I taught Sunday school for 25 years,” Sanders said. “We really try to encourage a healthy lifestyle and we actually lose a little money on (the 2K), but we want to provide a way for kids to get healthy.”

Before the 2011 race, Sanders and race organizers met to discuss which charities would benefit the most from the money raised from the event. The committee agreed on two Whitfield County programs — Family Promise and City of Refuge-Dalton, organizations that work with underprivileged families to provide housing, meals through a food bank and clothing.

The two organizations split 100 percent of the profits down the middle.

“Every dollar is critical for us,” said Pam Cudd, chief executive director for City of Refuge. “Something like this is a huge blessing for us.”

The half marathon has averaged around 340 participants, while the 5K had as many as 550 participants three years ago.

At $65 per runner in the half marathon and up to $35 per runner for the 5K, the profits add up for the two charities.

“The first year we raised $30,000,” Sanders said. “Second year we raised $40,000 and the next year we raised $48,000 and we’re looking to get it to the mid-$50,000s.”

Sanders said the proceeds dropped a little last year, when a cold snap hit Dalton on race day.

Cudd said fundraising dollars are the hardest thing to come by for City of Refuge, which also works with 17 local churches to find housing for the homeless.

“It has just been an ongoing, yearly event for us,” Cudd said of the half marathon, “and we have been thrilled to be a beneficiary and we’re very dependent on the community support.”

An avid runner, Sanders said the race and charities are important to him because of his own past experiences.

“I came from a very poor family and I’ve been lucky to do as well as I have,” he said. “It’s hard for kids to get out of that cycle. I go to Family Promise and see kids try to get out of that cycle, and it really is special to me.”

After beginning on King Street, half marathon runners will make their way through downtown before traveling down Walnut Avenue to Tibbs Road. The race then heads down Shugart Road and over to Chattanooga Road and Thornton Avenue before making its way back around to King.

The race’s organization is what keeps Ward, a former Dalton resident, traveling halfway across the country for a road race.

The 58-year-old Ward, a retiree who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., plans a visit to see family living in Dalton around the race’s date each year. A longtime distance runner going back to his high school cross country days at North Whitfield, Ward said Dalton’s half marathon is one of the best races he’s ever been a part of.

“You get downtown and then the nice historic district,” Ward said, “and then the nice old houses of Tibbs road and the nice nostalgia of the old Chattanooga road. … It’s just a good overall, well-organized course.”

Ward has a bet with his 23-year-old nephew Nathan, who ran cross country at Northwest Whitfield High School, that he can finish with a better time based on the World Association of Veteran Athletes’ age-grading scale, which evens out overall times based on age.

“Our bet is bragging rights,” Ward said. “Just a little family bragging rights.”

Sanders said he’s constantly thinking of ways to make the race better, whether it’s the route, hydration and refreshment stations, T-shirts, volunteer presence or anything else that comes to mind.

Ward said it’s that type of attention to detail that is going to make the Dalton Red Carpet Half Marathon one of the most popular races in the area and maybe even in the state of Georgia and beyond.

“That race has the potential to become one of the big races on the calendar every year — it’s that good a race,” Ward said. “Once you get people coming from around the state to see how great a race it is, people will start coming from all around, and I could see it growing into one of the biggest races in the South.”