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KINGSPORT — It is truly a celebration of cross country running.

On Saturday at 8 a.m., the third annual Run4TC 5-mile trail race at Bays Mountain Park will be held. The event is a fund raiser for the Tom Coughenour Memorial Fund.

The fund was created to commemorate the long-time Dobyns-Bennett track and cross country coach. Coughenour coached at D-B for more than 40 years and was named the Tennessee state cross country coach of the year nine times, and was inducted into the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame.

Another mission of the TC Memorial Fund is to bring awareness and support to the sport of cross country and the fellowship it creates. A main focus of the fund is to support the D-B cross country team’s efforts to help students fulfill financial commitments related to their training in the sport.

The selection process for the TC Memorial Fund scholarship is based on an essay.

This year’s recipient is Lady Indians’ sophomore Hannah Cutshall. Cutshall runs both cross country and track at D-B.

“Coach (Bob) Bingham called me out of class right after I’d taken an Algebra II test and asked me if I’d heard any good news that day,” said Cutshall. “Then he told me I’d been selected for the scholarship. It was really exciting.”

Cutshall began running two years ago. “My mother is a marathoner so I thought I’d give running a try,” said Cutshall. “It didn’t take long for me to really get into it.”

The topic of this year’s essay was how does running relate to the community? “Most people think of running as an individual sport,” said Cutshall. “But it is really very social.

“I wrote about how races like the Crazy 8s and Susan B. Komen bring so many people from the community together. So many races raise money for good causes and have people focused on one goal.”

Long range, Cutshall wants to attend college and major in sciences and languages.

“It seems like an unlikely double, but I want to be a marine or environmental biologist and a writer,” said Cutshall. Short term, Cutshall wants to improve her times, especially for the upcoming cross country season. “I ran in two varsity races last fall,” said Cutshall. “I was so nervous, but that’s the level where I want to compete.” In two short years, running has become a huge part of Cutshall’s life. “I love to run,” said Cutshall. “It’s not only good exercise, it does so much more for you. “I was just a nerdy kid before I started running. Now, I have so much confidence and feel so good about myself.” Cutshall is another example of Coughenour’s understanding of how much influence cross country can have in a high school runner’s life. For more information on Run4TC, visit www.tcmemorial.com.

Posted at:
http://timesnews.net/sportslive/featured/article/9044849/cutshall-awarded-tc-memorial-fund-scholarship 

The 3rd Annual RUN4TC is HERE! Fleet Feet Sports Kingsport & Tom Coughenour Memorial are proud to present the XTERRA “Power to the Tower” trail half marathon & 3rd Annual RUN4TC 5-Mile on April 7th, 2012 at Bays Mountain Park. We are open for registration!