As a favor to our email 📧 subscribers, we will finish out our day with just one lengthy catch-all post ! What a Day at Boo Ridge + a little of this and a little of that…

We had some next level helpers at the Crack of Dawn !
Pretty solid tag team on the back end, too !

Safely back amongst the cows 🐄 out here in Laurel Fork at 2:45, there is 45 minutes before kickoff of Duke University at Georgia Tech so we can start to digest a wonderful day.

Photo Credit 📸 to Ryan McCafferty

Great place to start by saying thank you to Dr Samantha Reed for singing our National Anthem and to Ryan McCafferty of The Carroll News for covering both the VFW breakfast and then 100% of Boo Ridge !

Both H2 Health and Run Roanoke for all of their assistance.
We are just getting started on this one, so feel free to check back later…
http://www.runroanoke.com


Run Roanoke
(540) 589-3212
runroanoke@gmail.com

Boo Ridge 5k and Fun Run

Results
5K Overall
5K Age Group Results
Event Info

Schedule
Oct 10, 2026
9:30 AM Race Start
Description


Boo Ridge is back! The entire course is decorated by Carroll County Special Olympics for Halloween and members of the team appear in costume all along the route as guides and also manning the water points. Boo Ridge is the major fundraiser for the team’s activities and all profits are deposited with Special Olympics VA earmarked for this local team.

   Many runners also choose to dress in costume; it is part of the fun, but you don’t HAVE to wear a costume! Want to support Carroll County Special Olympics, but can’t participate on race day?…Join our Ghostwalk! The course begins by looping around the school and then heads into the woods behind it on an old cross-country course. It is challenging, but athletes as young as 6 have done the 5K, and walkers are welcome!

LITTLE GOBLINS FUN RUN :

Chloe Smith led a group of nine participants in our leadoff event !

MONSTER 👻 MILE :

Nine more entries made everyone smile !

BOO RIDGE 5K :

45 runners headed out to the starting line, and thankfully, all 45 made it across the Finish Line ! Dr. David McPherson, aka The Grim Reeper, was once again magnificent in his role !

Samantha Lark Smith Pic 📸
Photo Credits : Samantha Lark Smith
Borrowing from my middle school cross country photos, here is the 5K winner, Sylas Nissel 21:02.94 !
Overall runner – up, Mason Ponce

4:00 pm – one thought that is running through my tired brain 🧠 is we are just on a 22 hour break until we unlock 🔑 the gym again for tomorrow’s basketball 🏀 practice….

Thank you to our host, Hillsville Elementary School, and their staff ! They are so very gracious in helping us out with everything we do at their school.

Samantha Lark Smith has taken her photos to social media now ! Terrific captures, start to finish !!!

End of the 1st quarter – GT 7, Duke 0

You have to check out this guy’s face as he sings 🤣 the song 🎵 !!!!

Half Pint Harris and Ferrum College is in action 🎬 down at UNC – Pembroke today.
More Pics 📸 now on Social media

Take me to your leader……

‘Da Boss !!!

5:06 – at the half in ATL, GT 14-10

The highlight of the week long adventure is just how many people take the time out of their busy lives to contribute to Boo Ridge. The medals 🏅 are made by a kind soul up in Christiansburg, and we must acknowledge that Brett Petty was alongside us to the very end..

Next up : Thank you, Ron Cochran, and thank you to each of our sponsors !

The back of the shirt 👕 popped with all of the color !!!!

More photos are available on social media.
The Final Four…

Our Boo Ridge prep crew was in a word was Marvelous !!! Photo 📸 Credit to Samantha Lark Smith.

We started around 2 p.m., and we are departing seven minutes ahead of Vickey’s 6:30 pm. cutoff

Ron Cochran has been busy !

Thank you to Ryan McCafferty for stopping by to absorb the work in progress, and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning. We are always grateful when the local newspaper 📰 covers are Special Olympics events!

Dr Samantha Reed will be the one that I will have the honor of introducing tomorrow when it’s time for our National Anthem to be performed !

The Boss is heading out now, but Bob and I will try to finish up this story !

We have a number of Bob’s, and we call this one, Scary Bob…

Standing next to Vickey Ritchie is about as cool of a place as I’m allowed to stand, and I will be here ready to go in roughly 12 hours !

Today, we had so many people give of their time ⏲️ as has been the case all week long. While I could list everyone that was here today, it would short change those who covered the first six shifts.

Vickey Ritchie is our leader here on The Hill, and Special Olympics Basketball is better for it !

Diamonds 💎 are Girls Best Friend : Softball is very much about Father’s and Daughters. Now we take a look at our Travis Leath and his ” Little ” Kiddo, who has grown up right in front of our eyes.

One of the numerous things hanging on the wall in my homemade office is this piece presented to me by Travis Leath. The fact that the new scoreboard is in the background just adds another dimension to the respect and appreciation that is shared between two softball junkies.

Emma Leath never weighed above 115 pounds, at least not in the six years that I have known her, yet she managed to absolutely dominate from inside the circle across her four seasons at Carroll County High School. After she graduated from The Hill, her father went from being the most supportive Dad to being the assistant coach alongside Rick Nester.

This created two issues, with the first being that he was trying to replace the beloved Jeff Tobler and second, he was trying to fill the cleats of one of the most determined athletes who I have met.

Travis is the definition of ” Love for the Game,” and it becomes apparent every time we speak about softball. Our paths don’t cross that often, but when they do, it is invigorating.

There will be plenty more on these two !