IRON MOUNTAIN – The Iron Mountain Road & Trail Half Marathon, hosted by First National Bank & Trust, made its fourth annual donation to the Dickinson County Cancer Loan Closet with money raised from the event on Sept. 12.

The donation this year was for $12,500, bringing the four year total to $37,500.

The Dickinson County Loan Closet is a non-profit organization that has been assisting residents of Dickinson County, Aurora, Florence, Niagara, and Spread Eagle for more than a decade. They loan equipment to cancer and non-cancer clients at no cost. They also have a financial aid program which helps with cancer prescriptions, Ensure, and incontinence supplies as well as out-of-town medical travel expenses.

The Loan Closet is operated solely by volunteers and donated monies. It is located at 201 East Breitung Ave. in Kingsford and they can be contacted at 776-0966.

Nearly 400 participants were registered and nearly 100 of those were children, ages 14 and under. Seven different states were represented in the events and 62 percent of participants were from the local area – Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Norway, Niagara and Florence. And with 38 percent of participants coming from out of the area, many local businesses saw an increase in sales and activity on the race weekend, organizers noted.

Another highlight from the event was the second year of the three-person Half Marathon Relay which boasted 20 different teams in four categories – male, female, mixed and corporate.

The Corporate Challenge category was officially named the James Harvey Moore Memorial Corporate Challenge this year in memory of the late James Harvey Moore. Jim Moore was a member of the 2014 Inaugural Corporate Challenge winning team from Coleman Engineering.

“Jim was a joy to everyone who knew him and was known for his enthusiasm for life, positive attitude, and being a role model for good sportsmanship. It is because of these attributes that the IMRT Race Committee felt it was fitting to honor his memory with the Corporate Challenge,” a spokesperson said.

“The $12,500 donation to the Loan Closet would not be possible without the generous sponsors who continue to support the event and cause year after year” stated Lisa Villringer, IMRT president and co-race director. “We are so lucky to live in such a giving community and we really want to express our gratitude to all of our IMRT supporters.”

Platinum Sponsors include: First National Bank & Trust and the Mariucci Family Foundation.

Gold Sponsors include: Family Chiropractic Clinic, Hall Orthodontics, Dickinson County Healthcare System, Champion Inc., ERA Chevrolet, Floline Media, WJMN TV-3, CJ Graphics, CCI Systems, MJ Electric, The Drug Store, and Fleury, Singler, & Co.

Silver Sponsors include: Back in Motion Physical Therapy, Norway Eye Care, Sick Productions (Evan Blagec, DJ), Santini Family Dentistry, Holiday Inn Express/Comfort Suites, Results Broadcasting, and TADCA/U.P. North.

Aid Station Sponsors include: Bianco’s Fitness Center, Wender Builders, Grace Baptist Church, Tomczak Carpentry, U.P. Dance Academy, and CJ Graphics.