The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K and W3 Fit Kid Shuffle held its seventh annual race banquet on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at Willow Brook Golf Course. Gathered for a night of celebration were race sponsors, team leaders, volunteers and five local charities.
“The purpose of DWS is to support the community by giving back to organizations that are solely devoted to helping Whitewater,” DWS Executive Director Jefferey Knight said. “It is always wonderful to see different community members come out to support our cause!”
During the banquet, DWS presented $5,000 to each of the five charities, totaling $25,000. These five charities include: Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, Bethel House, Whitewater Unified School District, Whitewater LEADS and J-Hawk Aquatic Club.
Excluding the DWS donations, there was an additional $464 directly donated from anonymous individuals to the charities of their choosing on the DWS website.
“Besides the runners, obviously, anyone would be surprised by the amount of leg work that goes into the DWS Race Day Weekend,” GWC Chairman Larry Kachel said. “The number of community sponsors, volunteers and team leaders that help out is inspiring. However, my favorite part of DWS has been the $180,000 we have raised for Whitewater charities.”
The DWS post-race survey was sent out to runners via email and posted on DWS’s Facebook page. The purpose of the survey was to give race participants the opportunity to express their opinions of their overall race day experience.
In the 2019 DWS, 52 percent of the runners had participated in past DWS races. On the survey, 100 percent of all returning and first-time runners expressed that they felt satisfied to extremely satisfied with the race, and 100 percent of respondents also said they would recommend the DWS to friends and family.
“The 2019 race marks the third year that I have been the DWS Race Director,” DWS Race Director Dawson Miller said. “It still amazes me to see just how many individuals can come together in support of the community. I was a little concerned an hour before the race, but even with the rain we got, it was a great event.”
Next year, the eighth annual DWS will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2020.
Photos (Left to Right): Larry Kachel, Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC); Mark Elworthy, Whitewater Unified School District; Eric Boettcher, City of Whitewater; Michael Wallace, Fort HealthCare; Dwight Watson, UW-Whitewater; Dawson Miller, DWS; Jeffery Knight, GWC and DWS
Donation Recipients: Jen Kaina, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness; Marissa Kevin, Bethel House; Steve Ryan, Whitewater Unified School District; Rita Hookstead, J-Hawk Aquatic Club; Jim Winship, Whitewater LEADS
