KELSEYVILLE — Runners and walkers filled the roadway to benefit literacy in Lake County Sunday morning during the 19th annual Vineyard Run for Literacy.
Approximately 245 participants walked and ran, according to organizer Lonny Rittler.
Some participants brought dogs out for a jog on leashes; one mother pushed a jogging stroller carrying her twins.
“My time was terrible. It was 19-something,” 5-kilometer winner Ben Mullin, 19, said.
Runner-up Robert Rajalingam, 32, wasn”t far behind him. Rajalingam said he was happy to keep up with a 19-year-old.
The annual walk and run event benefits the Lake County Literacy Coalition, a non-profit volunteer organization that sponsors and supports the Lake County Library”s adult literacy program.
The program offers special training sessions on topics such as English as a Second Language, learning disabilities and teaching grammar.
The annual walk and run event is the coalition”s biggest fundraiser, according to Rittler, who is the treasurer on the coalition”s board of directors.
“We raised the price this year from $15 for individuals and $25 for families to $20 for individuals and $30 for families, so I know that money-wise we did better. We were quite thrilled. It seemed like maybe the same amount (as last year), maybe more,” Rittler said.
Official running times and statistics won”t be compiled for approximately two weeks, but Rittler confirmed the winners in the 5K run, the 10K run and the 5K walk.
Mark Curran took first place in the 10K run, Tyler Bunett took second place and Peter Stanley took third place in the male category. The female first-place winner was Stephanie Nayment. Erica Lundquist came in second and Adriana Murray took third.
In the 5K run, Mullin took first place for the male category, Rajalingam took second place and Kenneth Breen took third. Chiyako Ito was the female first-place winner, Leslie Scott won second place and Kari Kirkpatrick was third.
Dick Bode was the first walker to reach the finish line, Doug Rhoades was the second and Tom Alexander was the third.
“We had a lot of return walkers and runners who come every year. The camaraderie has been wonderful. I watch children grow up and run who used to walk, and it”s wonderful,” Rittler said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
