The challenge was issued a little more than a decade ago. Heidi Pehl immediately knew what she didn’t want to do and began crossing potential ideas off her list.
She didn’t want anything too stuffy. Because of this, the thought of hosting a gala or anything similar was discarded rather quickly.
No, this needed to be something fun that everyone could participate in.
From that line of thought, the I-5 Dash was formed.
“Toyota Motor Sales challenged all the dealers to come up with a charitable event in their community,” says Pehl, owner of the I-5 Auto Group, which is comprised of eight dealerships including I-5 Toyota. “We didn’t want to have a party or a ball or an auction. We wanted to do something that was open to all ages, young and old. The purpose was to raise money for scholarships which is something very near and dear to me.”
The event has certainly proven to have legs as the 10th annual Back to School I-5 Dash 5K Run-Walk will take place on Sunday, August 28.
The race, which begins at 9:00 a.m., will start and end at I-5 Toyota, located just off Exit 79 in Chehalis.
“It started out fairly small,” Pehl says. “It’s grown every year since our first one. I don’t know exact numbers. I just know when they line up to start the race every year, there are more and more people out there. So, that’s a good sign.”
The event was initially designed to give back to the community and it continues to deliver on its mission as all proceeds from the dash go to support school scholarships.
“This event is about generating money for local scholarships for local high school students,” said Pehl, a graduate of W.F. West. “It’s about having fun and getting people out there and moving and being healthy.”
Proceeds from the previous nine runnings of the I-5 Dash have produced a total of 85 scholarship recipients – a number that has grown substantially over the duration of the event.
Pehl states that the scholarship is open to any Lewis County high school senior.
“I ran cross country in high school and was on scholarship in college (at the University of Washington). It just made a lot of sense to have this event support local high school students,” Pehl adds. “We have a committee which goes through all the applications. We usually end up giving more scholarships than money raised by our events. You start looking at the applications of these incredible students and you want to help as many as you can.”
While the number of recipients has multiplied over the years, the distance of the fun run has remained the same – 3.1 miles.
“I think it’s a good distance for this event. It’s a distance almost everyone can do. We want as many people out there as possible,” Pehl says. “We have people walk with their dogs or ride their bikes. Some of the more serious runners will run this and then go do their normal runs. So, it’s kind of a warm up for them. Other people will take their time walking. We just want to have as many friends and families out there participating.”
Registration can be made online at the I-5 Dash website. The registration fee, which can be paid for by cash or check, is $15 for students, $25 for individuals and $50 for families with runners receiving an event t-shirt with paid entry.
The I-5 Dash is one of two events Pehl and her company do during the year that benefits local students. She also organizes the annual I-5 Valentine’s Wine Mixer that includes a fashion show in February which is the kick-off event for the car she donates every year to be raffled off by the local schools. The free fundraiser includes a silent auction and raffle with all the proceeds supporting Lewis County youth.
“Everything we do here is for the community,” Pehl says. “I really enjoy seeing the little kids ride their bikes (during the I-5 Dash), seeing the high school cross country runners run in it. Usually it ends up being a cross country runner from W.F. West High School win it, but everyone has a great time.”
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