NEWS

On Saturday, October 2, the Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC) will hold its 16^th annual fund and friend-raiser, Run For Green, on the Green in downtown Davidson.

Run for Green, which includes 5k, 10k, and half-marathon events, has become popular on the runners’ circuit and has grown to be one of Davidson’s largest events, second only to the three-day Christmas in Davidson. The race offers challenging and enjoyable runners’ courses, and showcases several neighborhoods and popular greenways, wildlife corridors, and Treasure Trees.

In 2020, Run for Green was run as a virtual race, in keeping with the safety practices during the Covid-19 pandemic. “While successful, the fundraising related to the event fell short of the previous years, when the runners could race in real time”, said Dave Cable, executive director of DLC.

“This year, we hope to equal or exceed our runner participant totals from 2019, when we had nearly 900 runners and walkers,” said Paul Freestone, volunteer race leader and DLC Board Vice President. “We hope to meet our fundraising goals, helped as well by the contributions of our generous sponsors,” he added.

The presenting sponsors of this year’s Race are MSC, premier sponsor, and Trane Technologies, both long-term, generous supporters of DLC.  Other lead sponsors include Davidson College, Lake Norman Publications, Bragg Financial, Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, & Throat, Cole Jenest & Stone, Dennis J. Coleman, DDS, Fifth Third Bank, Lake Norman Realty, Taylor Morrison, and TSG Residential.

Not only is the Run For Green a critical fundraiser for local conservation, it also provides a unique opportunity to engage the community in important conservation messaging, including the Conservancy’s focus on land conservation, urban forestry, greenways, and wildlife habitat protection.

Runners will enjoy innovative technology via RaceJoy, an app allowing a runner’s fans to track their progress and cheer them on during the race.  Given DLC’s focus on tree canopy preservation and its Treasure Tree program, the RaceJoy app gives runners information about special trees and other natural features along the course.

“The race ‘takes a village of volunteers,” said Dave Cable, “and we benefit from the community’s help in various roles, including set up and breakdown, course marshals, managing water stations on course, and various other logistics support on Race Day.” Folks interested in volunteering can sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/NC/Davidson/RunForGreen

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Davidson Lands Conservancy’s mission is to conserve local lands and natural resources, connect lives to nature, and promote a conservation ethic.  DLC advances its mission through education and through four conservation pillars or programs: land conservation and stewardship; greenways and trails; urban forestry; and wildlife habitat.  Run For Green is a popular community engagement event that inspires good health and a strong community, both core and complementary to conservation and to making Davidson a great place to live. The growth pressures on Davidson are staggering and, while economic development benefits our community, balancing growth with conserved lands is critical to our quality of life and to keeping Davidson special, attractive and healthy.

For more information, contact:

Dave Cable (704-577-2004 or [email protected]) or

Paul Freestone (269-532-4815 or [email protected])