By DYLAN McKENZIE

Times Leader Staff Writer

DILLONVALE — Members of a local school community are training to run for the benefit of high school students.

Buckeye Local High School will be holding a Panther 5K fundraiser event on Aug. 13 in Yorkville, with the money from the event going to help benefit the senior class of 2020. The event is being organized by class adviser Andy Long, who hopes the fundraiser will help raise money for the sophomore class to use for activities in the future. Long said that among other things, the money will be used to help put on the 2017 homecoming dance, as well as the spring prom.

“We were just looking for something a little different and unique to raise money,” Long said. “It takes some pressure off of the kids. They do sales all the time.”

The race will start out at the World War II Memorial Stadium in Yorkville, and will take participants through Yorkville, Tiltonsville and Rayland, looping back to bring them to the finish line at the stadium. Participants can either walk or run the course as they prefer. Long said that although there will be an official timer for runners to check their speed, there won’t be any awards handed out at the event — but there is always the possibility of that changing if the race is successful enough to become an annual event.

“We will give shirts for the first 100 people. It’s more like a fun run, but we’ll have an official timer,” Long said via a release. “Next year, we will separate it into age groups and genders with medals and maybe have a kids’ race.”

Long said that although he isn’t directly involved with the registration process, he thinks there has been a fairly enthusiastic response from the public so far. Long said he’s happy to see people excited for the event, and when it rolls around he might just lace up his running shoes and join the other participants.

“It’s really nice to see everyone kind of come together for it,” he said. “It’s good for the community.”

Individuals interested in the race can visit the Panther 5K Facebook page or visit runsignup.com to register. For more information on the race, call the high school at 740-859-2196.