Our initial Run was also held last year in October in memory of Greg Collette, with proceeds benefiting the Greg Collette Scholarship through the Sweetwater Education Foundation. The “visualization” of this run came from Marcella Cooper. We had great success with the first race. There were approximately 350 runners and walkers, not to mention the many volunteers and on-lookers that helped to support this event, including the businesses here and surrounding areas.
Kevin Mahan, our race timer, from Endurance Sports Management informed our committee that he had never seen so many people turn out for a first race. We attribute that, in part, to the benefit of living in a small community. The people here are loving, caring, and extremely supportive of each other. We also had many others that drove to Sweetwater to participate. Some who knew Greg well and others who wanted to show support. We would like to thank all who were involved to make this dream a reality!
We wanted to keep Greg’s memory alive and his giving to others with the Rocky Top Run. We had plans of helping one graduating senior from Sweetwater High School with proceeds from the run. Due to the great success of the Run, we were able to help two seniors in realizing their dreams of furthering their educations. Our recipients of the 2014 scholarships were Heath Hill and Laint Moser. They both will be attending ETSU in the fall. We wish them the best of luck.
Now a little bit about the awesome person this race was designed to honor. The man you are running in honor of was one of the most gentle, kind and quietly giving person you would ever meet. The many kind acts that he did for others you would never hear him speak of, only the recipient of his kindness would utter the words.
Greg was quick witted and enjoyed the moment he was in. He was so easy going that all he met seemed to become his good friends.
On the run, you will see places that Greg frequented. His place of worship, First Baptist Church, his home on South High Street, where many UT games were watched and celebrated. UT was his alma mater. Then, the run will take you on to Sweetwater High School where he graduated and shared many fond memories with his classmates and continued to attend events there. He made sure that his relationships with his closest friends flourished into his adult life. The Rocky Top Run will continue on to Willow Creek, where Greg walked, ran, and exercised on a daily basis, training for his first 5K. He had found a way to get healthy and tried to motivate those around him to get moving!
We welcome you to join us in celebrating the life of Greg Collette. Help us keep his memory alive by continuing to give to others as he would have. Please come and participate with us in any way you can … run, walk, talk, volunteer, support, clap, yell … just whatever your talents are.
Remember the race date: October 26, 2014, at 2:00 P.M.
So get moving with the Rocky Top Run! We can’t wait to see you there.
Contact: Event Coordinator Marcella
Cell Phone: 423 836-0963
