This year marks the fourth annual Bath Rotary 4- Way 5K walk/run. The idea for the race originated with Melissa (Sawyer) Boulette, a former member of the club. Sawyer, an avid runner, is marketing director for PFBF CPAs, an accounting firm in downtown Bath and Oakland. She is also race director for the firm’s annual “Run The Numbers” 5K in Oakland.

This past June, their eighth annual 5K raised $17,200 for the Alfond Youth Center. With endless enthusiasm and teamwork from the Bath Rotary Club, she decided a road race would be a perfect way help support the club. This year’s 4-Way 5K will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, starting at 9 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on 807 Middle Street in Bath. The event coincides with Bath Autumn Fest and Citizen Involvement Day in downtown Bath.

The club was looking for a new fundraiser to help build up the Community Service Fund, which gives money to local non-profits, assists with Morse High School and Bath Regional Career and Technical Center scholarships, and supports Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide. Another focus of funding has been Bath Rotarian Rich Cromwell’s efforts at the CIO Orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he was instrumental in purchasing land and building a permanent home and learning center for the children.

Bath Rotary also has a rather famous runner as a member. While a graduate student at Oxford University in England, George Dole, a Morse High graduate and retired minister, ran in the famous track race in 1954 in which Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile. At 86, George runs today and consistently wins his age group in races.

Thanks to the generous support of our community sponsors, Bath Rotary keeps this race “running” year after year. In 2014, when the race was established, Mid Coast Medical Group Bath was putting up a new medical office building on Centre Street in downtown Bath. The firm graciously agreed to be a major sponsor of the race and has continued as the Title Sponsor. Brackett’s Market and Bozzuto’s IGA have also been generous major supporters, providing water, fresh fruit, and snacks.

Mac Dickson of 92 Moose will be back again this year as the race emcee and will provide hit music to get you moving from start to finish. Other local businesses have been loyal sponsors, such as Bath Savings Institution, Midcoast Federal Credit Union, Sunnybrook Village, Re/Max Riverside, Camden National Bank/Acadia Trust, M.W. Sewall, D.R. Coffin’s Garage, Springer’s Jewelers, Now You’re Cooking, First Federal Savings Bank, Frohmiller Construction, The Coastal Journal, The Times Record, Androscoggin Bank, PFBF CPAs, Cahill Tire, David Matero Architecture, and Edward Jones/Jeff Labbe.

The Bath Rotary 4-Way 5K gets its name from the Rotary 4-Way Test, a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships:

Of the things we think, say or do:

1 Is it the TRUTH?

2 Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3 Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4 Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The 4-Way 5K offers cash prizes to the top finishers. The first place men’s and women’s overall winners will get $100 each, while the second place men’s and women’s overall finishers will win $50 each. The top runners in each age category will win $25. Registration for the race is $20 prior to race day and $25 on race day. Students 18 and under pay $10. Registration can be done online at runsignup.com/Race/ME/Bath/BathRotary5K

The race could not be a success without the assistance of volunteers. In addition to the members of the Bath Rotary Club, the Morse Interact Club has provided a lending hand. Interact clubs bring together young people age 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of “Service Above Self,” the Rotary motto. Volunteers and participants from Life Church in Bath also have helped run the race.

The Bath Rotary Club welcomes visitors to our weekly meetings at noon on Tuesdays at J.R. Maxwell’s, 122 Front Street, Bath. For more information on the 5K or the Bath Rotary Club, email the race director, Melissa (Sawyer) Boulette, at msawyer@pfbf.com, visit bathrotary.org, or call (207) 371-8002.

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