My 5K Summer
Participating in a 5K is a great way to start to love running. They’re also a great activity to do with friends and family because they are achievable for people of all shapes, ages, and fitness levels. My group of friends has a range of people from non-exercisers to trained marathon runners and we all had a blast at the 5Ks.
Not a runner, or hate to run? That’s okay—I was in the same boat. Trust me on this, I started as a couch to 5K’er whose motto used to be: “I don’t run and if you see me running, you’d better start running because someone/thing is chasing me” (quote originally found on Pinterest). Then, I signed up for my first few 5Ks and I’ve fallen in love—more importantly, it has instilled a challenge in me to do better at each following race, which has gotten me to train (yes, to actually, willingly exercise—and run). I walked my first two races, and ran parts of my third. I’ve even signed up for a half marathon for next year. So not only are 5K’s achievable and fun, they also support two great causes: getting those you love to enjoy some physical activity and the charities a lot of the runs support.
Here is a spotlight on the three 5K’s I participated in this summer:
Millie’s Princess Run
“Because Cancer is a Royal Pain”
Millie’s Princess Run is a 5K race founded by the Millie’s Princess Foundation—originated by a group of women to show support for Millie Flamm and her family. Millie passed away from leukemia, but the foundation lives on in her name—raising money to support other children with cancer, a.k.a “The Royal Court”.
Among other events held by the foundation, the Millie’s Princess Run is held annually at Sugarhouse Park. Runners of all ages come together dressed in tutus, ball gowns, and tiaras (there were even some knights and superheroes in the mix!) to support the royal court. Crossing the finish line, runners are awarded finisher medals (designed from Millie’s artwork) and treated to fruit and pastries at the after party.
This run was my first 5K ever and I will definitely be joining them again next year!
Want to get involved?
Millies Princess on Facebook>>
Millies Princess Foundation>>
Potter Run
Calling all witches and wizards… and yes, even muggles.
Calling all witches and wizards… and yes, even muggles. To celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday, each year a 5K fun run, the Potter Run, is held in his honor on July 31. The run is held by Geek’d Out Events (an event promoter for local fandom events) and the The Rocky Mountain Muggles (The Salt Lake Valley chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance—a volunteer group that focuses on issues of literacy and human rights) and all proceeds benefit HopeKids Utah (a charity group that supports children with life-threatening medical conditions).
After registering as a walker, runner, or broomstick flyer, participants chose their houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff) and met up at Liberty Park for Harry Potter’s birthday.
There were representatives of all four houses in attendance as well as cosplayers dressed as death eaters, dementors, a snitch, and even Nagini. I, of course, represented my house: Ravenclaw and chose to be a runner (unfortunately, my broom is non-magical—I live with muggles).
After the race, we celebrated with birthday cake and were awarded medals for participating.
To learn more about the organizations mentioned or to join next year’s race, visit PotterRun on Facebook and HopeKids.org..
The Color Run
The Happiest 5K on the planet!
One of the messiest—and most entertaining runs—I’ve done so far is The Color Run. The Color Run is more like a giant party than a race. Although the Color Run partners with charities, this race is a for-profit run that was started to promote health and happiness by bringing the community together.
I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about this race when I woke up to earth-shaking thunder and a complete downpour. But, the Color Run goes on rain or shine and. luckily for us, the skies were clear and sunny during the actual race.
The party began at the start line where the emcee had us dancing to music, doing the wave, and jumping over each other for free swag. Then the race began and we ran along the downtown streets waving to the police officers and other bystanders—or in one instance tackle-hugging them and leaving colored streaks on their pristine uniforms. (The racer did know the officer and had permission. DO NOT tackle hug an officer without their consent.) Along the route were four color stations where we were blasted with powdered colors. The powder, although not great tasting, is non-toxic and does wash out (of clothing anyway—I had blue and green skin for a couple of days).
At the end of the race was the color festival, where racers were given color packets that were tossed in the air—or at each other—as we danced and celebrated. With so many people releasing color packets, the air was one giant color-cloud. There was so much color everywhere! I had a blast and can’t wait until next year to join this race again.
Get your color on at TheColorRun.com>>
Want to get in on the fun? Check out these other races coming soon.
The Invasion Run—9-5-2014
Superhero Run—9-20-2014
Witches Brew Ha Ha 5k Run—10-3-2014
Night of the Living Dead—10-18-2014
Purple Dash for Epilepsy—11-1-2014
Utah Santa Run—11-22-2014
To save money on registration, I recommend you take advantage of early registration options. Most races offer them up until about 30 – 60 days prior to the race. Also, follow them on Facebook for possible coupon codes. We'll also keep you informed of various codes here on Coupons4Utah. Sign up for our daily email alerts here>>
Visit UtahRunning.com for information about upcoming runs, nutrition tips, running clubs and more.
Posted by Anie. Photography by Laurie Williams, Copyright 2014
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