Hundreds run the Dom and Dave 5K to honor Lexington students killed in 2021 crash

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - It’s been nearly a year since Dominic Bilotta and David Cervoni were killed in a crash in Scott County. The teens were students at Lexington Catholic High School and were teammates on the cross-country team.

“The boys ran cross-country for a long time and they excelled at it, and loved to do it,” said Craig Bilotta, Dominic’s father.

So Sunday’s Dom and Dave Memorial 5K was the perfect way to remember two boys who loved to lace up their shoes and go for a run.

“They both loved the comradery of the sport and I think that this was symbolic in the comradery for them,” said Erica Bilotta, Dominic’s mother.

Nearly 900 runners took on the trek, both along the Coldstream Park course and quite literally across the country.

“We have Florida, New York, Massachusetts,” Erica said.

Some virtual runners even participated internationally.

“I have a friend in Las Vegas who is in Belgrade, Serbia, and he’s running virtually,” Craig said.

It’s a turnout the Bilotta’s never expected when putting the race together.

“When this was just a little seed of an idea, we thought maybe 100 or 200,” said Erica. “As of this morning we had 895 participants, so it got bigger than we ever imagined.”

The families were hoping to raise a few thousand dollars for a memorial scholarship in the boys’ names. But with the support and turnout, they’ve reached $30,000.

“It’s really about the kids and a celebration of their lives, and it turned out to be way more than what we thought it would be,” said Craig.

The Bilotta’s hope this will be annual event, celebrating two boys who undoubtedly were running right along with everyone.

“We miss him dearly, but his memory will live on through this,” Craig said.

If you would like to donate to the scholarship fund, you can message the Dom and Dave memorial 5K Facebook page to set up making a donation.

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