It’s been nearly two years since Covington native Scotty Scoggins lost his father, Mac, to lung cancer and more than six years since his mother, Dee, died of leukemia.

“I think about them all the time,” Scoggins said.

Since 2018, Scoggins has been working to educate others and help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by running in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend via Team in Training. Team in Training is an an organization dedicated to raising money to find a cure for cancer through endurance sports, he said.

Inspired by his parents, Scoggins has raised nearly $20,000 over the last two years, but he wants that number to continue growing.

This year, Scoggins has committed to hosting a virtual Vampire Run from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. All net proceeds from the race will go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, he said.

Prospective racers can register for the virtual run at runsignup.com/Race/GA/MysticFallsCovington/VirtualVampireRun and help Scoggins “take a bite out of blood cancers.”

Instructions are as follows: 

1. Register for either the $40 level and get a bib and medal, or the $30 level for a bib only.

2. Bibs and medals will be mailed around Oct. 31.

3. Walk or run a 5K (3.1 miles) between the date the runner registered and Nov. 30. Runners should post their 5K results on the website. 

Runners are encouraged to dress like a vampire, vampire hunter or vampire victim, Scoggins said.

In the future, Scoggins said he hopes to do both a virtual and in-person race in Covington.

“‘You have cancer.’ No individual should have to hear these three awful words,” Scoggins said. “Let’s do what we can (regardless of how small) to make these words go away forever!”