PARKERSBURG - If The News and Sentinel Two Mile Race needs a theme song this year, nothing would be more appropriate than Darius Rucker's popular country tune "History in the Making."
That's what could happen when the race takes off at 8:05 a.m. Saturday.
A distinct possibility is that for the 10th straight year, a runner who attended Warren High School will be the one to break the tape.
That's because former Warren High and Ohio University runner Jason Linton dominated the race for six straight years from 2001 to 2006.
After Linton decided to no longer participate in the race, it finally was somebody else's turn.
That somebody else was Warren High runner Tyler Cantley, who now runs for Ohio University.
Cantley has won the last three races.
If he wins this year, it will be his fourth and the 10th straight for Warren High runners.
Cantley intends to be here.
In fact, unless his plans change, he plans to be here long enough to break Linton's record.
That's not the only history the race may make this year.
It's quite possible it will exceed its all-time record for number of entries.
That's because the Two Mile Run just keeps growing in popularity.
And why not?
Not everybody has the time to condition themselves to participate in the feature event of the day, the 13.1 mile News and Sentinel Half Marathon.
But virtually anybody can and does participate in the two-mile event from serious runners like Cantley who are there to win to those who make it a family outing and just walk the race course together.
Two-mile participants can choose to participate in all the amenities offered those who run the half marathon, including the pre-race pasta dinner and the post-race pizza luncheon.
And they have their own awards ceremony, which takes place at 9:45 a.m. at Bicentennial Park, where those who place both overall and in their age group receive their accolades.
The Two Mile allows its participants to be part of a world-class event without having to run a half marathon.
In fact, those who participate in the Two Mile find themselves at the finish line well ahead of the half marathon runners.
Many of the Two Mile participants stay around to cheer those who dared to challenge the 13.1 miles of Parkersburg's hills.
There is no race day registration for the Two Mile.
Participants must sign up by Friday.