Melissa Phillips, a 26-year-old avid recreational runner, has been chosen as the AT&T Dash for the Cash competitor in the March 31 Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k.
Phillips, chosen at random from more than 28,000 early entrants, will be given an opportunity to win $2,500. She will be given a head start based upon her predicted time and her past performance in the Monument Avenue race. If she is the first to cross the finish line, she will win the $2,500 cash prize. If an elite runner finishes first, that individual will earn both the Dash for the Cash prize and the $2,500 winner's prize.
“I really didn’t believe it at first,” Phillips told race organizers. Neither did her husband, Tim. “He thought it was a scam," Phillips said. "He asked me if they asked for my credit card number.”
Said Phillips: “I’m very much excited but very nervous.”
Phillips grew up in Virginia Beach but moved to Richmond after graduating from James Madison University in 2008. She lives in the city with her husband and works for the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority.
(This has been a breaking news update.)

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