Sarah Bush Lincoln is gearing up for its 12th annual Races for all Paces, a multi-race event Saturday, May 12, that starts and finishes on the track of Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.
Race organizers are extremely excited about offering challenging and fun race courses, including the Panther Trail, campus locations, local neighborhoods and the half-marathon that goes into the country with hills and other exciting challenges along the route. “Our goal is to get more people involved and moving in a healthy direction,” Race Director Laura Bollan said. “We purposefully developed multiple race events to include as many people as possible.”
The event includes a half marathon, as well as an individual 10K, 5K Run/Walk, 1-Mile Run/Walk, and even races for young children, including a “Toddler Trot” for kids ages 3 to 5 and a “Diaper Dash,” for kids under age 3 that takes place on the football field. This year, first responders will be honored on race day and participating first responders will receive a special hat.
Participants can also “Walk with a Doc.” Neurologist Fatima Alao, MD, Family Practitioner Robert Thain, MD, and Tom Dust, PA-C, invite community members to walk with them in the 1-mile fun run/walk. Additionally, US veterans are invited to participate to honor soldiers and to get active again or improve their activity level.
“Races for All Paces can be a competitive run or a run to achieve your personal best. We welcome all participants,” Bollan said.
The family-friendly event also includes fun activities for people of all ages. Race participants are encouraged to bring the entire family and touch-a-truck to learn more about how our first responders help the community. There will be a smoke house, fire trucks, police cars, K9 demonstrations, and a medical helicopter. Rural King will provide two red tractors and Sarah Bush Lincoln’s Healthy Kids KickStart car and Body Electric van will be there as well. Other activities include inflatable bounce houses for the kids, face painting, a photo booth and music for everyone’s enjoyment.
Participants are encouraged to register early to ensure receiving the desired shirt size, but people can register for all races up until 10 min. before the start of each race on the day of the event. Course support for all events includes water, sport drinks, and chocolate milk, fruit and port-a-potties, which will be available at various stages of the events. Race bibs will feature a QR code that can be scanned for real-time race times.
There will also be an untimed One Mile Fun Run, and the Toddler Trot and Diaper Dash on the football field, giving even the youngest kids an opportunity to start moving in a healthy direction. A training schedule and tips for running can be found on the Sarah Bush Lincoln website, www.sarahbush.org for those who have never run before, Bollan said.
To register, go to www.sarahbush.org. T-shirts and medals are guaranteed for all runners registered (excluding Toddler Trot and Diaper Dash). Please note, registration fees are non-refundable and are used to support Healthy Communities programs. Parking is available in the O’Brien Stadium parking lot.
Event Title partner is First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust; Half Marathon partner is KC Summers Buick Toyota GMC; 5K partner is Rural King; Runner Timing and Tracking partner is Consolidated Communication; 10K partners are Wave Graphics, Gordon Food Service and Medical Weight Management; 1-Mile partners are Magee Studio, JWAG Photography, Golden Hour Photography, A Heart’s Desire Photography, Old State Road Christian Church, Mark’s My Store, Jimmy Johns and Niemeyer Kuboto Repair Service; Toddler Trot and Diaper Dash Partner are Sunshine Preschool, Mattoon and Stepping Stones Children’s Center, Mattoon and KidZone partner is Illini Care.
For more information, contact Laura Bollan at 217 345-6828. Race course maps are available at www.sarahbush.org