Saturday dawned bright and refreshing, after overnight showers washed a bit of the pollen away, for athletes of all stripes competing in the inaugural Rock On Rockdale 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run.

Inspirational stories of participants were at every turn. After reading about Dick Hoyt, the 72-year-old Massachusetts father who has pushed his son Rick, 50,with cerebral palsy, in multiple marathons and triathlons; Eric Krug was motivated to begin training with his brother-in-law, Chris Sandy,despite being a busy father of three. This was the first of many planned races for them. Then, there was the fantastic Special Olympian Jeffrey Foat, who competed in both races placing second in his age division in 28:52, after sprinting in the 1-Mile Fun Run. Foat, 42, trains nearly every day and is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Special Olympics track meet on April 18.

Rockdale Special Olympics Chairwoman Erika Sellers was thrilled with the turnout - approximately 160 runners, walkers and tots relaxing in their strollers as parents pushed them up and around Olde Town Conyers' hills. "I'm a fairly new runner, and I wanted to get the community excited about running. I figured it would be a good way to get the Special Olympics athletes involved and make the community more aware of Rockdale's special needs population," said Sellers, "God has really blessed this race."