Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Joggers will have the chance to race for a good cause this Saturday as Run Napanee hosts a fundraising River Road Runner.
Registration begins at 10 a.m. in Napanee’s Springside Park followed by a junior 1.5 km race at 12:05 p.m. and the River Road Runner 5 km starting at 1:05 p.m.
“The concept behind the Napanee River Road Runner benefit and fun run is to create a fun and professional experience for runners, reward them for their efforts, and at the same time benefit local student athletes and the programs they invest themselves in,” explains race organizer Landon Mutch of Two Mutch Racing. “The route follows the river and includes some very relaxing scenery. This provides an enjoyable experience for people who feel like taking it slow, but the course is also moderately challenging for people who wish to compete a little harder. We are offering large cash prizes to get people excited about competing, to entice crowds to come from further distances and to set a high standard for competition in the area.”
The entry fee is $15 for the junior race and $45 for the 5K. The top three finishing women and men will earn $125, $100 and $75 respectively. There will also be a $100 draw for the top 10 finishing men and women, a $100 draw for all finishers and $50 prize for both the oldest and youngest finisher. A subscriber draw of $50 will also take place.
“At this point we are expecting to have between 40 and 50 runners in total,” said Mutch. “The race offers a Junior 1.5k run for children aged approximately 10 and under as well as a 5k distance for all ages. There are awards for the top junior runners and many cash prizes for the 5k. The $1,000 in prizes will be handed out in an awards ceremony directly following the race, and every finisher in the 5k has a chance to win. We believe that if we continue to reward people for their efforts the race will to grow year after year.”
After receiving nominations through its RunNapanee.ca website, the group has opted to donate 95 per cent of all proceeds to the Napanee District Secondary School girls’ basketball team and the Cornerstone Christian Academy physical educational programs. The remaining five per cent will go towards covering the cost of the run.