Past, present and future will collide in Oglethorpe — one of the state’s oldest counties — when runners take to the streets for the Restoration Labor Day 5K.
The race will celebrate its 20th anniversary at 8 a.m. Monday, while raising funds for the continued renovation and upkeep of the Crawford Depot.
“I hate to see old buildings fall in disrepair,” said Linda Parish, Lexington resident and tourism and hospitality director for the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce. “They have a soul, you know. They’ve seen a lot.”
Crawford owes its incorporation to the Depot. The New Georgia Encyclopedia credits the Depot’s activities with attracting settlers to the area. Centuries later, the Depot still stands, and functions, as a Crawford landmark.
One of the last depots constructed by the Georgia Railroad Company in 1848, it’s now home to the Oglethorpe Chamber of Commerce, as well as a space for various events, including the annual Christmas market.
The Restoration Run is a down-and-back course that begins and ends at the Depot. Participants will travel Smokey Road before reaching the turn-around point and returning.
Back at the Depot, awards will go to the top overall male and female finishers, overall male and female masters, as well as the top three in each 10-year age group – starting with those under 10 and concluding with those over 80-years-old.
The Restoration Run is the founding race of four in the Firefly Trail Race Series. It costs $25 to participate either in person or virtually — or $20 without the trail series T-shirt. Sign ups continue through the morning of the race — as early as 7 a.m. before the event kicks off at 8 a.m.
Classic Race Services, the managing company behind the race, predicts 150 runners will compete in the event, which is consistent with previous years.
In the 20 years Crawford has played host to the Restoration Run, the funds have helped renovate and maintain the Depot, along with two $300,000 grants from the Department of Transportation, Parish said.
Previous renovations include addressing the ceiling’s structural integrity, adding wheelchair ramps to either side of the building, sealing walls and putting in standard doors rather than the sliding barn doors where trains unloaded their cargo.
Parish said landscaping, a storage building and more cosmetic fixes are the next steps.
“I can see it finished in my brain,” she said. “It may not get there in a hurry, but I can see it finished.”