Excitement and nerves were flowing down the Chessie Trail in Lexington as over 700 runners laced up their shoes and got ready to race in the annual Chessie Races on Oct. 26.
Lexington locals, Washington and Lee University students and runners from across the country took their marks Saturday at 8 a.m. to participate in the race. The race consisted of five events: a marathon, a half-marathon, a 5-kilometer race, a 10k and a 26.2-mile relay race.
About 20% of the race participants were students from across the region, said Colleen Arnold, a member of the Friends of the Chessie Trail Board. Over 20 Washington and Lee students participated in the various events, including Ella Van Wyk, ’27.
“The best part of the race was seeing Washington and Lee students running the opposite way or them running past you, because I didn’t know how many W&L students were racing,” said Van Wyk. “It was a nice surprise.”
All events in the race took place on the Chessie Trail, a seven-mile nature trail that runs along the former Chesapeake and Ohio rail line. The race event was started in 2016 to raise money for the preservation of the nature trail.
Over $60,000 has been raised through the event since its founding, according to the Run the Chessie website. The money raised from registration costs is used for maintenance and improvements on the trail, according to the 2023 Chessie Trail annual report.
The Chessie Races create an environment for Washington and Lee students and Lexington community members to interact and enjoy the local nature together, said Angeline Costello, ’26.
“The race was very community-building in the sense that I didn’t know these people personally, but they were cheering us on,” said Costello. “You could feel the W&L and Lexington community come together.”
Costello participated in the 10k event and placed in its top 50 runners. Paul Mitsopoulos, ’25, Zanita Akinkugbe, ’27, Claire Hutchison, ’27, and Grace Stelljes, ’27, also ran in the 10k and placed in the top 50, according to the Run the Chessie website.
The Chessie Races created a welcoming event for people of all ages to participate, said Van Wyk.
“When the older people were walking the 5k and the younger people were keeping a good pace, it was awesome to see people of all ages being able to have fun together,” Van Wyk said.
The half-marathon was the largest event of the day, with a total of 270 runners. The half-marathon allows runners to see almost the entirety of the Chessie Trail, according to the Run the Chessie website. Over a dozen Washington and Lee students ran the half-marathon.
The event is run by members of the Friends of the Chessie Trail, a group that strives to maintain and promote the health of the trail, according to the Friends of the Chessie website. Volunteers start planning the event 11 months in advance, said Arnold.
“The most fun part of the race was running alongside the faces of the Rockbridge area who all had such a great attitude, and seeing W&L friends as well,” said Costello. “The volunteers were nice and cheered us on.”
