Mitch Calvert
Time to dust off the runners and stretch out those “hammies.”
The second-ever “5K in May” run, hosted by Energy Fitness Centre, is set for Saturday, May 2 starting at 8:30 a.m. from the Sorting Gap Marina.
Along with the five-km walk/run (open to all age groups and skill levels), there also will be a one-km mini run for kids.
The registration cost is a minimum $20 donation (charitable receipts available) for the 5K run and a toonie for the one-km one, with the first 100 signing up getting a T-shirt to commemorate the event.
Registration forms will be available at Energy Fitness up to and including May 1, but not on the day of the race.
“It’s a doable event,” said Energy Fitness owner Jackie Lampi-Hughes, who is organizing the run.
“It’s not like we’re doing 10 miles, so you can walk or run or both,” she noted.
“We’re hoping the marathoners do it just to get a personal-best time, but we also want the parents who just want to come out and walk a stroller to not be afraid to join also,” Lampi-Hughes added.
The event was a smash hit in 2007, and organizers hope to get close to the same amount of participation this time around.
“We did it two years ago, and we probably had 300 people doing the 5K,” Lampi-Hughes recalled.
“We’re around 50 people signed up thus far, but we’re hoping to get at least 150.”
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the local “Community Chest,” which helps district families facing medical expenses.
Lampi-Hughes noted the inaugural run two years ago raised about $4,000 for the “Just Imagine” campaign to help purchase a CT scanner for La Verendrye Hospital here.
All registered participants also will be entered into a draw to win prizes, including a one-year membership to Energy Fitness Centre for adults.
“If you’re over 16, you’ll be entered into a draw for a one-year membership,” Lampi-Hughes said. “We also have an hour massage giveaway, and running shoes from Taggs, and it’s not for first-, second-, and third-, it’s just random draws.
“It’s all about participation rather than who finishes first,” she stressed.
Lampi-Hughes said the idea was first hatched four years ago—and addresses a need here in Fort Frances.
“When we started all these run groups here about four years ago when I first opened, a lot of the runners who had lived here said there wasn’t really any runs available in the area, so I figured ‘We can put one on, right?’” Lampi-Hughes said.
“I would love to offer things here so we don’t necessarily have to drive to Fargo or Winnipeg,” she remarked.
“It gets kind of expensive when you go on the these trips, and then no one is there at the finish line to say, ‘Hey, way to go!’”
