For competitors in the Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Walk and Run, family members often become fans, and those fans gear up for race action in downtown businesses.

If water or Gatorade was Saturday’s drink of choice for the runners and walkers, coffee was quite a popular beverage for spectators. Once the gun sounded on the 20K race, a long line quickly formed at the counter of Wheeling Coffee and Spice. All varieties of coffee and cookies and doughnuts were a sought-after treat for those taking part in the race with their eyes and not their legs and feet.

After purchasing a whipped-cream topped drink, Cleveland resident Jennifer Meyer waited with her mother-in-law Norma Meyer, of Moundsville, and her daughter Paige, 3, for her husband Brian Meyer to cross the finish line in the 20K Classic. Jennifer Meyer said she has returned to Wheeling in each of the last 6 years to watch her husband compete.

Jennifer Meyer said her daughter also was a competitor in the 2007 version of the Ogden Newspapers races as Paige competed in the Ogden Tiny Tot Trot. Jennifer Meyer said the Ogden races are “children-friendly,” and she is pleased the city and its residents are behind it.

John Rush, the manager of 7-Eleven, said Saturday that his business benefited from consecutive days of prosperity starting with Friday’s inaugural Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Torch Relay that featured West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.

“Last night (Friday) it really kicked in,” Rush said. “This morning it was really steady. The race helps us big time, and it’s really great for downtown.”

Some of Saturday’s spectators were former Ogden Newspapers race competitors. Carol Varner, of Warwood, bought a hot cup at Wheeling Coffee and Spice, and she then dashed outside to cheer on nephew Mark Rhoads — a North Carolina resident and graduate of The Linsly School at the starting gun.

The U.S. Navy retiree said she gave up the annual race because her “knees are shot,” but she called the Ogden Newspapers races “a great event.”