Sarah Bush Lincoln is gearing up for its 13th annual Races for all Paces, a multi-race event Saturday, May 11, 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.
Race participants are encouraged to bring the entire family. “We welcome everyone,” Bollan said. “Races for All Paces can be competitive run or simply a fun day to enjoy with the family.” The event includes fun activities for people of all ages, including 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 minutes 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.
Register online here. 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 Bank & Trust; Half Marathon partner is KC Summers Buick Toyota GMC; Runner Tracking and Results partner is First Neighbor Bank; and Toddler Trot and Diaper Dash Partners are Old State Road Christian Church and St. John’s Lutheran School.
For more information, contact Laura Bollan at 217 345-6828. Race course maps are available at www.sarahbush.org