Spring Dashing for a cause
HAILEY HILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 4 weeks AGO
COEUR d’ALENE — Like many runners in Saturday morning’s Spring Dash, Elizabeth Droesch didn’t go at the 5K race alone.
Droesch’s 11-year-old son, Oskar, finished the race right alongside her.
“It was tiring at first, but once you get to the finish line it’s great,” Oskar said.
Saturday’s 5K marked Oskar’s first race after weeks of running the course along Lake Coeur d’Alene, which began and ended in McEuen Park, with his mom to prepare.
“It was so much fun,” Droesch said. “We motivated each other."
The mother-son duo was among the 1,131 total racers in this year’s Spring Dash, a yearly event put on by United Way North Idaho.
Races included a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Tot Trot.
Funds raised by the Spring Dash go to community members that are employed, but remain “asset limited, and income constrained” — referred to as ALICE by United Way North Idaho.
“They are working hard but falling short of what they need to consistently cover the basic costs of living,” United Way North Idaho’s website reads. “Unable to save for the future, they are vulnerable to a single emergency that can push them into crisis and even poverty.”
Saturday’s races marked the 37th Spring Dash in Coeur d’Alene, which United Way North Idaho board of directors Johanna Brown said has grown in popularity since the pandemic.
“It’s great to see people come together and get out there for a healthy, positive reason,” Brown said.
Saturday’s Dash marked the largest Spring Dash turnout ever, Brown added.
And the winners are:
Women’s 5K
1st place: Sonja Jones, Portland, Ore. 19:29
2nd place: Gracie McVey, Hayden 21:59
3rd place: Brooklyn Caywood, Hayden 22:04
Men’s 5K
1st place: Matt Roberts, Castle Rock, Colo. 17:23
2nd place: Jon Neill, Spokane, Wash. 19:04
3rd place: Justus Mac George, Coeur d’Alene 19:04
Women’s 10K
1st place: Emalyn Bell, Saint Maries 45:18
2nd place: Ava Magers, Greenacres, Wash. 46:42
3rd place: Michelle McCullough, Post Falls 47:15
Men’s 10K
1st place: Unnamed, Spokane, Wash. 37:59
2nd place: Jonathan M., Coeur d’Alene 38:01
3rd place: Dave Schruth, Spokane, Wash. 40:42
Women’s Half Marathon
1st place: Cathlin Sentz, Moscow 1:40:43
2nd place: Becky Thompson, Coeur d’Alene 1:40:49
3rd place: Krista McNaught-Davis, Veradale, Wash. 1:45:12
Men’s Half Marathon
1st place: Drew Moreno, Pullman, Wash. 1:24:26
2nd place: Kaleb Stinson, Coeur d’Alene 1:28:27
3rd place: Eric Sawyer, Moscow 1:28:58
Runners celebrate as they cross the Spring Dash finish line.
Johanna Brown with United Way North Idaho hands out medals to Spring Dash racers.ARTICLES BY HAILEY HILL
Hayden chamber marks 25 years
Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn named Business of the Year
When Andrea Fulks talks about growing the Hayden Chamber of Commerce’s membership, she makes a point to avoid certain words. “I never say you should ‘join,’” the chamber president and CEO said. “I say that you belong in this family.”
NIBCA celebrates leadership, growth
NIBCA celebrates leadership, growth
The first time Jessica Cargile attended a North Idaho Building Contractors Association meeting, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. That feeling returned for only a moment before she was sworn in as NIBCA’s president for 2026.
Coeur d'Alene chamber grows to nearly 1,000 members as it continues to evolve
Coeur d'Alene chamber grows to nearly 1,000 members as it continues to evolve
A sepia-toned photograph of about 30 businessmen hangs in the office of Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s President and CEO, Linda Coppess. Though dressed in the fashion of decades past, the men gathered for a purpose that has endured: uplifting area businesses through the Chamber. The photo is a reminder of the Chamber’s 114 years of history, Coppess said in her address to nearly 200 attendees at Tuesday morning’s Breakfast Connect event.