Time to get your stomp on!

  • Last year’s 5K for Kaye Swamp Stomp attracted hundreds of walkers and runners to the streets of Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED
    Last year’s 5K for Kaye Swamp Stomp attracted hundreds of walkers and runners to the streets of Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED
  • The Swamp Stomp begins and ends at the Gatewood Schools campus in Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED
    The Swamp Stomp begins and ends at the Gatewood Schools campus in Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED

    Next to the Dairy Festival, few events bring together as many Eatonton folks as Gatewood Schools’ annual 5K for Kaye Swamp Stomp, with this year’s race set for Sunday afternoon, Sept. 18.

    The event has been held since 2008 in memory of Gatewood graduate and fourth-grade teacher Kaye Gregory Cheshire, daughter of Jerry and the late Donna Gregory of Eatonton. The race is a fitting tribute to Kaye, who had a standout career at Gatewood as both an athlete and a scholar. An honor graduate of the Class of 1985, she went on to graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology and was inducted to the Gatewood Hall of Fame.

    As an athlete, Kaye helped Gatewood win not only the region track championships her 8-11th grade years, but also three state championships. The girls’ basketball team earned three region championships and one state championship during her high school years, and Kaye was selected for the All-Region basketball team her senior year. She also played softball her junior and senior years.

    In 2009, the Kaye Gregory Cheshire Girls Fitness Center was erected on the Gatewood campus, commemorating her influence on the school and its girls’ athletics.

    Kaye and her husband, Mark Cheshire of Eatonton, had three children (Hope, Ross, and Caleb), all of whom graduated from Gatewood. Sadly, the family lost Hope earlier this year and this year’s Swamp Stomp is specially dedicated in her honor and memory.

    The one-mile Fun Run (for all ages) begins at 2:30 p.m., with prizes awarded to runners 10 and under. The 5K follows at 3 p.m., with awards going to Overall and Masters, male/ female; Overall Gatewood Student, male/female; Overall Gatewood Alumnus, male/female; and top finishers in several age groups ranging from 8-and-under to 75-and-over.

    The deadline to pre-register for $20 and be guaranteed a 2022 Swamp Stomp event t-shirt is Sept. 8. After that and up to race day, registration will be $25, with t-shirts available as long as supplies last. Runners also can choose at any time to register for a $20 “no shirt” fee. Registration forms are available online at www.gatewoodschool. com or runsignup.com. For more information, contact Jill Brackett at (706) 473-1612.

    – Contributed