Fincastle will welcome runners of all ages Saturday as the First Bank Fall Run celebrates its 40th anniversary, continuing a tradition that has brought together local students, families and competitive runners for four decades.
The 5K, 10K and pup run/walk are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Central Academy Middle School, 367 Poor Farm Road, in Fincastle. Registration and additional information are available at runsignup.com/Race/VA/Fincastle/FirstBankFallRun.
The First Bank Fall Run, then known as The Bank of Fincastle Fall Run, began in 1987 with 155 participants. Its roots in Fincastle road racing reach back even further, to races organized by Richard and Patty King from 1981 through 1983 in conjunction with the Fincastle Festival.
Richard Pauley helped establish the bank-sponsored event and served as its race director for 30 years. He has preserved a piece of the event’s history in a quilt made from T-shirts from its first 30 years.
The quilt offers a colorful look back at the race’s evolution and the memories made along its challenging course through Fincastle and the surrounding roads.
Over the years, the event has grown to include elementary, middle school and open team competitions. Its scholarship program, which began in 1994 with a $1,000 award, expanded in 2018 to two annual $1,000 scholarships. The race also has attracted accomplished runners, including Olympian Steve Taylor and his wife, Lori, whose 5K course records from 1990 still stand, according to First Bank.
Last year’s 39th annual event drew 669 runners. This year’s anniversary provides an opportunity to recognize the bank, schools, local businesses, volunteers, and generations of participants who have helped sustain the tradition.
Runners and motorists should consult the revised course map for this year’s route, which includes detours around ongoing courthouse construction and a road closure near Church Street.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
Graphic courtesy of First Bank
