ANNISTON, AL — The Anniston Runners Club has announced that longtime member Dennis Dunn of Anniston has received a national-level honor from the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). Dunn was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year in the RRCA’s 2025 National Running Awards program on Monday.
The Road Runners Club of America, a national organization representing running clubs across the United States, has presented its National Running Awards annually since 1971. According to the RRCA, the awards recognize individuals and organizations that have “gone above and beyond to empower runners of all backgrounds and abilities.”
Dunn was selected for the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award in recognition of his many years of service to the Anniston Runners Club and the local running community. Anniston has been designated a RRCA “Runner Friendly” community since 2022, and the Anniston Runners Club has hosted more than 17 RRCA championship events in Calhoun County through the annual Publix Woodstock 5K.
A longtime member of the club, Dunn served as president of the Anniston Runners Club in 2009 and 2010. He later served as race director of the Woodstock 5K in 2011 and 2012, when the event was designated as the RRCA National 5K Championship. For several years, he has also volunteered as the club’s calendar coordinator, maintaining a comprehensive calendar of local running events for Alabama runners.
In 2024, Dunn received the Anniston Runners Club’s lifetime achievement award. In 2025, following a vacancy on the club’s board, he volunteered to serve as Past President to help maintain continuity and support the organization’s operations.
Beyond his involvement with the Anniston Runners Club, Dunn has been active in several local civic and community organizations. He has been a member of the Anniston Lions Club for 42 years, including 29 years with the Anniston chapter, and has served as race director for the Anniston Lions Run for Sight for 28 years. The 2026 Run for Sight is scheduled for April 18.
For the past 13 years, Dunn has directed additional local races, including the Greg Stone Memorial Pancake Run at Parker Memorial Baptist Church and the Janney Furnace 5K in Ohatchee. He also founded the Plucked Turkey 10K in Anniston in 2007, which became an official Anniston Runners Club race in 2008 and has since grown into the city’s largest Thanksgiving morning running event.
In 2017, Dunn partnered with Wendy Turner to establish T&S Services, a company that provides chip timing for local races. As of 2026, the service supports approximately 30 to 35 events annually. Dunn has also served on the board of the Opportunity Center in Anniston for 12 years.
Dunn retired in January 2022 after more than 42 years working in journalism, including positions with the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Georgia, and The Anniston Star in Anniston.
The Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award recognizes Dunn’s longstanding contributions to the running community in Anniston and throughout the region. The Anniston Runners Club expressed its appreciation and congratulations for his service and achievement.
