They dashed for the dough

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CATCHING UP: Barbara Ann Fenton and her husband, Mayor Allan Fung, talk with Cathy Martin prior to the start of the dash. Barbara helped care for Andrew, Cathy’s son who suffers from the rare disease A-T.

THEY’RE OFF: Doughboy dashers started the 5K from in front of Iggy’s Doughboy & Chowder House and Boardwalk that sponsored the run.

SHE WOULDN’T MISS IT: Jeanne Kelly didn’t cover the 5K on her crutches, but she wasn’t going the miss the start of the race. Her nephew is Zach McMillan, who has the rare disease A-T.

TIME FOR A BITE: Pilgrim coach Scott Bayha wolfed down a doughboy before completing the 5K dash to raise funds to fight the disease A-T.

A DASH FOR ANDREW: Andrew Martin took in all the festivities and excitement of Sunday’s Doughboy Dash.

After a one-year hiatus, Iggy’s Doughboy Dash to raise funds to fight Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) returned to Oakland Beach Sunday with more than 350 people running and walking the 5K.

While once a requirement to qualify, many paused at the halfway mark to indulge in a doughboy, which they washed down with gulps of water. Those who took the time to eat and then run received a mark on their wrist to prove they had participated in this most unusual of runs inspired by Andrew Martin and Zach McMillan, both from Warwick who suffer from the rare disease.

Even before participants lined up behind a Corvette with Iggy’s mascot doughboy in the passenger seat, the event had raised more than $40,000 said David Gravino. Gravino, owner of Iggy’s with his sister, Maryann Soares, has sponsored the dash since it was first held. In addition to the 5K, organizers held a raffle and solicited donations.

Both Andrew and Zach were present, watching as runners registered at Iggy’s Boardwalk and chatted it up with city officials supporting the cause, including Fire Chief James McLaughlin, whose retirement coincided with the day of the dash. Mayors Scott Avedisian and Allan Fung were present, although neither took to the course through Oakland Beach. Council President Joseph Solomon, who will take on the role of acting mayor when Avedisian leaves on May 15 to head up the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, was in attendance as was his son, Rep. Joseph Solomon, and Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis.

The senior Solomon admitted dough of another kind making up the city budget is foremost in his thoughts at this time. The administration has until May 15 to deliver the budget to the council. That promises to be a challenge, as the council is faced with higher costs resulting from contract negotiations and a structural deficit resulting from the use of $4.2 million from reserves to balance the current budget.

A-T is a rare genetic disease that affects approximately one in 40,000 children. The disease causes progressive loss of muscle control, immune system problems, extreme fatigue and a high rate of cancer.

While the mood was upbeat, Andrew and Zach’s presence was reason to reflect on what these two boys and their families have gone through. Now 18 and a graduate of Pilgrim High, Andrew is taking some classes at CCRI. His left arm was amputated last month because of cancer.

Zach, who is 12, attends Veterans Junior High School, where he is an honor student and plays unified basketball.