HONESDALE, PA — Paraphrasing the proverb, Commissioner Jonathan Fritz last week lauded a victorious group of Wayne runners, saying, “It takes a village…”

An eight-member running team representing Bethany Village slugged it out and came out as the winners of the first annual Wayne County 5k Business Challenge.

On October 26, the county commissioners, who had sponsored the competition, welcomed six members of the team that won the new 5k Business Challenge Cup that the county panel had sponsored.

Team spokeswoman Laurie Bahan said her group—which she said included two smokers—beat weather, health and team attendance-conflict issues through the five-month, five-race schedule, and of course ran well enough to accumulate overall winning results.

Honoring all the team competitors, which also included teams from Wayne Memorial Hospital and the Wayne County Courthouse, Commissioner Wendell Kay said the team efforts had justified the county’s decision to sponsor the trophy. Further, he noted that Bethany Village “will always be the first on the trophy.”

Learn healthy running habits and change personal routines, Fritz said. “When they take effect, they have impacts every day and become second nature.”

The Business Challenge competition this year was added as part of the three- year-old Wayne County 5k Challenge, which is a series of five, 5k run/walks in Wayne County. Races take place from June through October and the competition is designed to help encourage and promote fitness through walking or running.

The 2015 5k Challenge included the June 13, Roy Thorpe Memorial 5k Run/Walk in Waymart; the July 11, Dr. William Perkins Memorial Events 5k Run/Walk at the Wayne County Fairgrounds; the August 22, Wayne County Habitat for Humanity 5k Run/Walk at the Wayne Highlands Sports Complex; the September 19, Wayne County YMCA 5k Run/Walk, also at the Wayne Highlands Sports Complex; and the October 3, Hawley Library 5k Run/Walk in Hawley.

Teams needed a minimum of five participants to be scored at each event; and scoring was based on cross-country scoring.