Race director Ron Green is extremely pleased to announce that The Debbie Green Memorial 5k Run and Walk for Leukemia has been tapped as the National 5k Championship by the Road Runners Club of America. The designation was confirmed in a phone conversation with Don Kardong, National Championships Committee Chairman of the RRCA, in mid December. This years event will take place on August 7th.

From the beginning, this race was special. From a first year attendance of over 300 to a quite impressive turnout of nearly 1,000 actual participants in the 5k alone this race has been on the fast track to becoming the single largest 5k in the region and the largest competitive race in the state. Now with the addition of the Green Mile ( which made its debut in 2003 ) and the ever popular Debbie's Dash ( for the little ones ), this event has the complete package. Some of the amenities include $3,000.00 worth of prize certificates for the top runners, 200 + awards, Live TV coverage and Radio Remotes, Plenty of Food and Door Prizes, Music Every Mile and 10,000 spectators along a Fast, PR type course.

This race already has a rich tradition of stellar performances in both the run and walk. Both men and women have turned in quite a few impressive times. Ricky Moore took a 4-year running win streak from 1998 - 2001 with Ben Bolock winning in 2002 and Mike Cox in 2003 with an all time race record of 14:27. The women's running side has had a varied history of winners, starting with Jennie Castle in 1998, Charity Pefferman in 1999, Erin O'Reilly in 2000, Katrina Jones in 2001, Heather Bury in 2002 and another race history record set by Tara Struyk in 2003 with a 17:40. The walk side has seen quite a few winners as well with Brother David Cooney in 1998, John Mike Nichols in 1999, Steve Bence from 2000 - 2002 and Dave Hoskins in 2003. Bence has the current race record for the walk on the male side with a 25:17 in 2001. The women's racewalk side had Jane McKenery winning the initial race in 1998 followed by Kathy Ervin from 1999 - 2001. Jamie Brooks won in 2002 with Bobbi Jo Chapman putting in an unprecedented 5k-racewalk record for the valley with a time of 24:56 in 2003. Needless to say, some of these times in both the walk and run will be hard to beat.

Many years of hard work have gone into this event and the designation is very befitting a race that has such a just cause. Debbie Green was a 7-year-old girl from Benwood, West Virginia. She was like every other little girl. She loved going to school, cheerleading, and playing with her friends. Debbie was loved by all who knew her. She enjoyed life to the fullest. In 1970, Debbie was diagnosed with leukemia. For two long years, she battled the disease with courage and determination. On February 10, 1972, friends from all over The Ohio Valley put on a benefit show for her, calling it "Debbie Green Day", helping her during her difficult time. That day meant so much to Debbie and her family, but in less than 2 months, on April 4, 1972, Debbie lost her courageous battle with leukemia. Now, from tragedy comes triumph, and from sadness comes hope. Debbie's memory lives on with this wonderful event, which benefits local children who also suffer from leukemia and need our love and support, just like Debbie did 32 years ago.

Both Green and his highly motivated race committee are at full speed for the 2004 event already. There are quite a few details to consider and accomplish for this year's race and this designation is a crown jewel not only for the race but for the local racing community and The Wheeling Area as well. The RRCA factors in a lot of items when choosing a race to be one of its top events, and this will be the first time that the State of West Virginia has hosted the 5k National Championship. The hard work by the committee, the volunteers, local government and of course the sponsors are all taken into serious consideration. With all of this work though lies the motivating factor that drives this race constantly forward. That is the aim to help area children stricken with this terrible affliction known as leukemia. It's the reason Ron started this event and the reason for the passion he and his committee have for making each year's event a memorable one indeed.

A real symbiotic relationship between the race and The City of Wheeling has developed in the past year. Wheeling is a city that is on the move and the business development both within the limits and in the county itself speak volumes. Such a race connected with a progressing community are a plus for each other. Wheeling rolled out the red carpet for this event last year the first year for the race in the city and it has been paying dividends ever since. You can bet that the race venue was part of many factors that went into the decision RRCA made to designate this event as the National 5k Championship. The Heritage Port, located in the heart of Wheeling, is the ideal place to host an event such as this. With it's sweeping view of The Ohio River, access to a major resort, entertainment and shopping areas, sizable number of lodging facilities within 10 minutes of the port, quick and easy access to major interstate and state highways, it is the perfect place for the best of the best to vie for the National 5k Running Crown. With so many attractions that are already in place and the promise of a bright future for the city, it's a win-win situation for all parties that are involved.