First Woodlands at Furman Challenge event this weekend
January 18, 2013
GREENVILLE, SC — The Greenville News Downtown 5K this Saturday will be the first race in the 2013 edition of the Woodlands at Furman Challenge.
The Woodlands at Furman Challenge was started in 2011 in cooperation with the Greenville Track Club as a way to promote physical fitness amongst Upstate residents age 65 and older. In total, 191 runners and walkers took part in 2012. That was up from 155 in 2011. Points are awarded using a formula that takes in both race finish as well as the age of the competitor.
On the men’s side, Bill Beckwith of Central, George Collins of Taylors and Lee Cook of Greer finished first, second and third. The top three finishers on the women’s side were Anne Brooks of Salem, Betty Burrell of Pendleton and Arianne Wahrer of Greenville.
The Woodlands is sponsoring the Challenge because of its commitment to healthy senior living in the Upstate. It is a Life Care community that added Masterpiece Living, which assists visionary communities who are already leading the industry with their wellness commitment, to become places where residents and staff alike seek to better themselves.
The Challenge is put on with the help of The Greenville Track Club, which is the state’s second-oldest running club. The club’s goal is to provide the running and fitness community with a schedule of top quality events in which area residents can reach fitness and life enrichment goals through participation or volunteering.
The Woodlands at Furman is a non-profit, mission driven continuing care retirement community owned and operated by a local board of directors and managed professionally by Greystone Communities. The 22-acre campus, adjacent to Furman University, opened in March 2009 and consists of 132 apartment homes in addition to 32 assisted living apartments, 16 memory support suites and 30 skilled nursing suites. Residents enjoy a wide range of amenities – enabling them to continue an active and engaged lifestyle. For more information, please visit www.thewoodlandsatfurman.org.
Events in this year’s Woodlands at Furman Challenge will be the Greenville News Downtown 5K, Green Valley in February, the TD Bank Reedy River Run in March, the Furman 5K in April, the Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Trail 5K in May, the Red White and Blue Shoes in July, the Michelin 5K in August, the BMW Classic in September, the Spinx Runfest in October and will culminate with the Paris Mountain Road Race in December.
More information on the races can be found on the Greenville Track Club’s website, www.greenvilletrackclub.com.
