Patricia Corbin was a typical high school cross country athlete: competitive once the gun went off but a social butterfly once she crossed the finish line.

The Lee Academy skier and runner’s life was tragically cut short on May 8, 2002 at age 17 in an automobile accident while returning home from an after-school appointment.

The next spring, her parents, Mike and Robin Corbin of Lee, decided to honor their daughter by starting a road race in her name.

“We wanted to do something that would help her memory live on,” Mike Corbin said. “She was always smiling and very friendly with lots of people. When she died we thought the best thing to do was to set up a scholarship.”

The fourth annual Patricia Lynn Corbin Memorial 5K Walk/Run, or “Patty’s Race,” will be held Sunday, May 7, at Lee Academy starting at 1 p.m.

All proceeds from the race will benefit the Patricia Lynn Corbin Memorial Scholarship Fund, given every year to a Lee Academy senior.

Corbin said that he hopes there will be a good turnout, but that depends on the always unpredictable Maine weather.

“The weather may play a part in how many people turn out,” he said.

However, running in the rain was something Patty loved, he said. Corbin added that “it rained last year, and the turnout was a little lower for people who actually ran it.”

Certificates will be given out to the top 3 overall finishers, male and female as well as top three males in females in all different age categories. The first 200 runners to pre-register will get a T-shirt.

“Some people will do both [register and sponsor],” Corbin said. “We want to be able to have lots of people take something away.”

A unique element of the course includes a memorial that Corbin’s classmates made for her a quarter-mile from where the race start. Mike Corbin said that the course, most of which is woods trails, isn’t fast but is very scenic.

“It’s a beautiful course. It’s not gonna be the fastest course anyone has ever run,” he explained. “It’s not terribly hilly but there’s a challenging hill after about 2 1/4 miles.”

He added that Patty loved the outdoors.

“She loved the outdoors. Its more in line with the kind of course Patty likes,” he said.

If you aren’t planning on running the race, you can be a sponsor to the Patricia Corbin Scholarship Fund. Send checks to: Lee Academy, c/o Patty Houghton, 26 Winn Rd., Lee, ME, 04455.

The registration fee is $10, and race day registration starts at 11 a.m.

For more information, contact the Corbins at 738-4354 or Todd Thurlow, 738-2089 (home), 738-2251 (at Lee Academy).

Run with your pet

If you’re looking to get Rover or Scruffy out for some exercise this weekend, you can head up to Old Town for the Animal Orphanage 5K and Pet Walk.

The race, sponsored by Governor’s Restaurant, will be held Sunday starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Old Town YMCA on Stillwater Avenue. Race day registration kicks off at 9 a.m., and the fee is $10 for the race and $5 for a family of walkers.

All proceeds from the event will benefit The Animal Orphanage, a shelter for stray animals located in Old Town.