19th annual Runners Believe Ryan Johnson Memorial Run/Walk slated for May

BELOIT — The 19th annual Runners Believe Ryan Johnson Memorial Run/Walk, one of several popular annual races around the greater Mahoning Valley throughout the spring and summer, is slated Saturday, May 16 at West Branch High School.

The walk will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., followed by the 5K race at 7. The event transformed from a morning to an early evening race last year and proved to be a popular switch.

“We’ll do the same thing this year,” said event organizer Roy Johnson, the father of the late Ryan Johnson. “It will be a 7 o’clock (5K) start and it will still be daylight, but people won’t have to get up at 4 in the morning to get to the race. Like last year, we’re going to do the one-mile walk and that will start at 6:30 and the (5K) race starts at 7. We had such a great turnout for the one-mile walk last year, and people stopped right after and said, are you going to do that again? I said, yeah — people loved it.”

Ryan Johnson was a high school athlete at West Branch who tragically passed away after running a leg of a 4x800-meter relay during a West Branch-Canton South track meet in 2008.

The annual walk/run is held to raise funds for two $1,000 scholarships presented to college-bound West Branch seniors each season.

“We’re having a lot of the same sponsors,” said Roy Johnson. “Dudley’s Pizza (of Damascus) will be there again with their wood-fired pizza, and I have a new sponsor this year in the U.S. Army.”

“I think we had 150 (participants) last year,” said Johnson. “200 (participants) is my goal. Anybody that has run it says it’s a great race.”

Johnson said the race course is popular because of its even terrain.

“We’re one of the flattest courses you’ll ever run,” he explained. “There’s only 10 feet different in elevation in the whole course.”

Pre-race registration is $30.00 and includes a t-shirt and medal guaranteed. Race day registration is also $30 but t-shirts and medals are on a first-come, first served basis. There will also be food and drink for all runners following the race.

“I’ve got a couple great sponsors that buy the medals and help with the shirts, so the cost of the entry fee is basically paying for the scholarships,” explained Johnson. “The first 150 runners are guaranteed a shirt and a medal.”

Winners in each male and female age division receive a gift basket which has proven to be very popular.

“We’re doing gift baskets again and those are for first-place winners in each age category,” stated Johnson. “And I think, if I’m not mistaken, there are 11 age categories, so you have 22 winners (total) in men’s and women’s (age divisions).”

Johnson says he’s very grateful to the businesses that sponsor the race as well as the volunteers who generously donate their time for the event each year.

“I was the kind of person that wouldn’t ask for help, but in the last couple years, I’ve asked for help,” remarked Johnson. “It takes 10-to-15 volunteers the day of (the race). I’ve become friends of people through helping out at other races. Now it’s like, ‘what can I help you with for your race’? You’ve helped us, what can we do to help you?”

Persons can pre-register for the race on the race website at gcxc youngstown.

“We have a lot of great people there and we’ll have a great time, and hopefully great weather this year,” said Johnson.