The second annual Freedom Run (5K Run and 1 Mile Walk) supporting Muskingum Behavioral Health (MBH) was held early on Independence Day at Collegial Woods Trail located on the Zane State College / Ohio University Zanesville campus. Over 130 people participated raising money that supports the mission of MBH, to provide outstanding person-centered recovery and wellness services to individuals and our community.
“We started last year,” said Yolanda Taylor CEO of Muskingum Behavioral Health, “There is hardly any family that is not touched by addiction and mental health of some sort in the area, with COVID the two worst things that can happen to someone with addiction or mental health issues is being isolated and not feeling that they are a part of something. So as a fundraiser we wanted to do something that would not only benefit our clients as a community but also put them back into the community, give them some confidence, and give other people the ability to come together as a community to support one another so we thought that a 5k would be a good way to do that.”
96 Men ran in the 5K Race. Danuel Persinger (21) of Corning was the first-place finisher for the 5K race with a chip time of 16:43.1. Second place was clinched by Ann Arbor Michigan’s Clark Madden (17) clocking in at 17:31. With a time of 18:56 and taking the third place finish was Andrew Madden (43) also from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
For the women, Molli Carter (24) from Cambridge earned the top female finisher award and came in 15th overall with a time of 24:52.2. Following was Tricia Rodgers (32) of Zanesville with her time of 25:50.8 earning her a 20th place finish overall. In third for the women was Evonne Saunders (41) also from Zanesville with a time of 27:24.2 and a 25th-place finish overall.
participants in the 5K Race.
The youngest competitor was seven and the oldest in the race was 73. Besides the 5K event, there was also a more casual option for those wanting to walk the course. The event allowed people with children, strollers, and pets to participate at a pace that was right for them. The Fetch 1-mile was great for walkers and those bringing their pets. Virtual options were also available for anyone who could not be there in person.
“We have a therapy dog named Fetch at MBH we have a clinical service line, a recovery service line, and a prevention service line and we do a one-mile walk with Fetch he is our Chief inspiration officer, we want the dogs and your kids to be a part of the event, therapy animals and animals in general are good for people who have mental health issues and addiction issues also,” explained Taylor.
For information about Muskingum Behavioral Health visit their website at muskingumbehavioralhealth.com. You can also find them on Facebook at facebook.com/MuskingumBehavioralHealth.
