The Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation had its sixth annual Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, and more than 100 people came out to run or walk the 3.1-mile race, eat delicious food, listen to music, and support the foundation’s cause.

The weather was beautiful, and though the day was uncharacteristically warm for October, a light breeze kept participants cool as they headed up Highway 12 from the museum, looped around Eagle Pass Road, then headed back down the highway, passing by the marinas, on their way back to the museum.

It wasn’t very long after they had all taken off that the first runners started to trickle in.

A mere 18 minutes and 45 seconds after he left, Keith Gray, owner of Diamond Shoals Restaurant in Buxton, crossed the finish line. Gray is becoming the annual winner of the annual event, and this year’s race was no exception. He took home first place in the men’s group and a $50 gift certificate to Breakwater restaurant.

“So far I’ve been lucky,” Gray humbly said of winning the race each year. “I know there are some runners in Nags Head that could beat me if they came down here.”

The next two finishers were Michael Pierce of Avon,  who is currently training for a marathon, and Bob Spangler, also of Avon, a chemistry teacher at Cape Hatteras Secondary School (as well as the school’s cross-country coach), and a seasoned runner.

Those two received prizes for second and third place overall, with Pierce taking home a $25 gift card to Rocco’s and Spangler leaving with a $25 gas card to Island Convenience.

First place in the women’s group went to Lianne O’Neal, who won a $50 gift certificate to Breakwater.  Though she had never participated in the fun run before, O’Neal, a Hatteras village resident and avid runner, said she was familiar with the route.

First place in the kids’ division went to 13-year-old Patrick O’Neal, a member of the CHSS cross-country team and the son of first-place women’s finisher Lianne O’Neal.

O’Neal was cheered on by his coach, third-place finisher Spangler, as he crossed the finish line.

Spangler had encouraged his team to participate in the event. “I told them I’d pay for their first race,” he said, and about five of them took him up on the offer.

While O’Neal finished first, his teammates weren’t too far behind him, and Spangler, of course, was there for each of them, with high-fives, water bottles, and sage advice, as they crossed the finish line.

After the race, participants and onlookers took advantage of barbecue pork made from scratch by Dee and Darrin Callahan, using pigs that they and Rob Shay had purchased for the event, as well as seafood chowder from Coastal Blue, the winner of last year’s Day at the Docks chowder cook-off.

Chuck Ponalog, who plays at Little Grove Baptist Church, provided music for the event, and there was also a climbing wall, brought down and set up by Kitty Hawk Kites, that the kids (apparently not tired, even after running three miles) scaled over and over.

In the end, the event raised almost $4,000 for the foundation, including $42 that young entrepreneurs Hannah Barnett and Claudia Caldwell raised at their lemonade stand and donated to the foundation. 

Since its inception, the foundation has put more than $400,000 into the community, helping cancer-stricken individuals and their families pay for medical care and drugs not covered by insurance and long-distance travel for treatment.

“The Cancer Foundation would like to thank everyone for coming out and supporting those in the community who are struggling with cancer,” said Donna Barnett, a foundation board member. “We would also like to thank all the businesses that donated to the event,” she added.

“We couldn’t do what we do without the generous and unwavering support of this great community.”