While Cynthia Eagan, Mark McGiboney and Ken Malcom come from different backgrounds, they are connected by an undying love for their community and their unwavering service to the Covington Family YMCA’s annual Cheerios Challenge. The race turns 25 in 2026.
Long before the first runner approaches the start line at the Covington Family YMCA’s Cheerios Challenge, Mark McGiboney, Cynthia Eagan and Ken Malcom have already wiped away sweat, not from running the race but from preparing the course—a commitment they have upheld for all 24 years of the event’s existence. From the start time to the day’s end, the trio watches as the race comes alive. It begins with the early-bird arrivals and concludes with a packed field of community members. The moment the race commences offers Malcom his favorite part of the day.
“There’s something about standing at the start line and watching 1,000 people run by you, or standing at the top of the hill watching that number of people be at an event,” he said. “That’s something I really enjoy seeing.”
The number of runners that pass Malcom has significantly increased over the past quarter century. Fewer than 50 people crossed the finish line in 2001. Meanwhile, the 2025 race had the highest participation ever with 1,470 runners. The event includes 5K and 10K races, a one-mile Fun Run and a Trix Tot Trot. Prior to the day of the event, training clinics are offered for first-time runners, too. Eagan admits she could not have foreseen the growth that has taken place with the Cheerios Challenge. However, she did anticipate the effect she and her fellow volunteers could have on Newton County.
“We all want the best for our community in which we live.”
Cynthia Eagan
“We’re all visionaries,” Eagan said. “We all want the best for our community in which we live. We want to bring in programs and services that are going to benefit the community.”
Each volunteer invests considerable time to ensure this particular vision unfolds, and they have done it in their own ways. Eagan helped secure the corporate partnership with General Mills to use the Cheerios brand. She has developed various corporate partnerships and served as a race-day volunteer. Malcom was hands-on in setting the original route for the race, assists with any troubleshooting and works as a general advisor while also performing activities near the finish line. McGiboney has hung banners, set up water stations for the finish line, handed out day-of-race packets and performed course monitoring to help ensure racers’ safety. All of their efforts have established the Cheerios Challenge as a Peachtree Road Race qualifier.
However, Mother Nature has not always cooperated over the years. Even when rain sets in or a heat wave hits the area, McGiboney takes note of everyone’s uplifting demeanor around him.
“It’s just real positive,” he said, pointing out that the affirming nature of the race has remained intact despite its many alterations. “Even on rainy volunteer weekends, the crowds and the volunteers all seem to have a really positive vibe about them, very family oriented, because that’s the Y anyway. It’s big on [being] family oriented, and it always has that same positive, cheerful vibe.”
Eagan, McGiboney and Malcom have gained more than just something to do on a weekend every April, though. They all have helped develop a tight-knit community within Newton County, and it starts with their shared passion for volunteerism. Assisting with the Cheerios Challenge only scratches the surface of their involvement in the area. Eagan has been on the Newton Trails board, along with McGiboney’s wife, Jill. She also has supported Malcom’s efforts with the Covington Fuzz Run, served on the tourism board and worked on the 2050 Plan for the City of Covington. They have been on the YMCA board of directors together, too. All three demonstrate a strong love for their community throughout the entire year, but they have their own personal reasons for doing so. Malcom credited his mother for instilling into him and his siblings the importance of serving the common good. Eagan’s mother was also a notable influence. She encouraged Eagan at one point by telling her she had the personality to help others. McGiboney’s motivation stems from his own desire to be integrated where he lives. He views involvement as a way of showing appreciation for the community around him.
Being a part of the Cheerios Challenge while serving alongside her counterparts makes Eagan feel like she has been adopted into another family.
“Not everybody can participate in the Cheerios Challenge because it is a fee-based race, but you can still come to the Y and participate in the activities that they have,” Eagan said. “They have never turned anybody away. I have told many people over the years, ‘Oh, you should come to the race.’ [They might say], ‘Oh, I can’t afford that.’ [I will respond with], ‘Bring your kids because we still have music, bouncy houses and bananas—and community.’ So, yes, you do feel like you’re a part of a big family, and I try to push that, as well.”
Covington’s YMCA adds another facet to the trio’s sense of pride in volunteerism. Malcom stressed that the organization’s dedication to its cause provides a major reason why he comes back to share his time.
“Knowing what the Y does for the community, what it does for families who otherwise couldn’t be involved in these types of activities, it’s just something very special about what they’re doing,” he said, “and I believe in the Y and their mission and their commitment to our children and our community.”
Many memorable moments have occurred during the Cheerios Challenge’s existence. Times have changed, the event has grown and trophies have been awarded, but one instance still stands out to McGiboney through it all. Ten years into the Cheerios Challenge, he was in charge of the water station at the finish line. Toward the end of the race, a man was approaching the completion of his race with great determination. McGiboney recognized that, while he was not a top finisher, something was different about him. Everyone who had gathered around the finish line started cheering his efforts, and the man went from tears to smiles. This one memory provides a reminder to McGiboney of why he returns year after year to volunteer.
“This was a life-changing thing for him,” he said. “It was like going from the person he used to be to somebody he wanted to be, and that really sticks in my mind—how much people encouraged him at the end.”
Click here to read more stories by Phillip B. Hubbard.
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