If there’s more pep in the step of District 11 public high school runners in the years ahead, we may have the passion for running shared by Steve and Loretta Dodson to thank for it. Through the newly-formed Dodson Foundation, the couple will be offering two, four-year college scholarships of 20 thousand dollars each to District 11 Public high school graduating seniors who distinguish themselves in cross country and track and field.

If there are two other viable candidates two additional 10 thousand dollars will also be awarded.

“Steve and I stumbled onto the idea while on a training run back in 2019,” said Loretta, who coached Cross Country at Parkland High School from 1997-2018. “It’s taken this long to get the fund established exactly as we wanted. All seven of our board’s directors who will be doing the judging are runners I’ve either coached or coached with, so chances are good we’re going to be on the same page about the type of students we’ll be choosing.”

Which is?

“We’re looking for winning attitudes along with running and academic accomplishments,” said Loretta’s husband Steve, an anesthesiologist with Centurion Anesthesia. “We want kids who are ambitious but also supportive of their teammates and coaches. Success is more of a team sport than we tend to give it credit for, in running and life, too.”

It’s a formula that’s worked for the Dodsons personally, whose support of each other has made them the first couple to run marathons on all seven continents (which the truly global runners did in just three years from 1997 to 2000).

Despite being in their mid 60s, they maintain training schedules of 35 to 40 miles a week while Loretta, although retired from coaching, still officiates track and field meets for both the PIAA and USATF.

The first scholarships will be awarded this spring.