After a successful inaugural event in 2025, local organizers are making a 5K dedicated to eliminating veteran homelessness an annual event.

The Mighty Hero Homes 5K is one of the events that benefit the McDonough-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to provide affordable, permanent homes for all U.S. veterans. The organization is planning the first Mighty Hero Homes community construction in Henry County.

“Events like this are important for the local community to recognize that this is not just a VA problem or organizational problem,” explains Drew Walston, founder and CEO of Mighty Hero Homes. “We all benefit from our veterans, whether they serve our nation on our behalf or need our help.”

Lake Dow resident Crystal Preston-Lloyd started creating and planning the race around 2024. She became an avid runner in the early 1990s after giving up smoking.

“I basically traded one habit for another. For me, it’s a big stress reliever,” says Preston-Lloyd, who lives with her husband, Tommy Lloyd, and the dogs she runs with in town. “When I first started running, the only goal I had was to do the Peachtree Road Race.”

She eventually ran it in the mid-1990s and more than 20 times since then, in addition to nearly as many marathons in Georgia and across the country. She has participated in several marathons that benefited veterans, including the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., and the Soldier Marathon in Columbus, Ga., in addition to dedicating races to veterans.

“I just have always been a supporter of veterans because they are the people who allow us to be free,” she explains, adding that her father, brother and two cousins are Navy veterans.

But she took her racing to the next level by planning the local 5K.

“As a runner, I thought it would be fun to develop a race, but I didn’t want it to be for nothing,” says Preston-Lloyd, whose husband plays golf with Walston, which is how they decided to benefit his organization. “I know what a race is and what makes a run good, but I had never put one together myself.”

Preston-Lloyd explains that the race took more than a year to plan: creating a route and getting it USATF-certified for 10 years and designated as a Peachtree Road Race qualifier, securing volunteers, designing a T-shirt and awards, planning to close roads, having officers and permits in place and even putting together plans like renting portable toilets.

“It’s putting everything all together,” says Preston-Lloyd, whose husband is a battalion chief for the Henry County Fire Department. “It takes a lot of planning, and it wasn’t just me.”

The event, which includes a 5K, a kids’ fun run and “ghost runner” spots for those who want to support the race financially without running, is held the Saturday before Veterans Day each year, this year on November 7, running through the Lake Dow and Lake Dow Estates communities. Participants are encouraged to walk it if they can’t run it.

“Part of this race also is to promote health in the community and support veterans at the same time,” notes Preston-Lloyd, who works at Aylo Health.

The race, which was run by several fire and law enforcement officials in its first year, is always looking for sponsors and student and adult volunteers. Organizers also plan to honor a veteran each year, as they did the first year by honoring Lt. Col. Allan Imes of Griffin.

CONTACT DETAILS

Organization: Mighty Hero Homes 5K

Website: https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Mcdonough/MightyHeros5K