4/29/2007 - Run Through Redlands
Run Through Redlands
by Brad L. Smith
Fun. Run. Two words that sound alike for good reason -they are alike. When we were kids, we ran everywhere and nowhere. It wasnt where we were going that mattered so much as the sheer joy of the experience. Running was fun.
It still is. Case in point: the 24th Annual Run-Through-Redlands event on April 29!
Since 1983, the Redlands Kiwanis has hosted the run and the fun, ably supported by Redlands Community Hospital and the Redlands Daily Facts newspaper. Their combined efforts have been well received. In 1986, the Half-Marathon was added to the original 5K and 10K races. The year 1987 saw our Run-Through-Redlands racecourse officially certified by The Athletic Congress (TAC, the national governing body, now known as USA Track & Field) as a sanctioned running course for competitive athletes to gather points professionally. More fun joined the field in 1998 with a 2K Run For Fun to help make the event more available for all abilities and ages. Youll see moms walking with strollers and dads jogging with their 5-year-olds. Finally, a Kinderdash event was added for those with even shorter legs with a 50-yard course behind Smiley Public Library.
Today, Run-Through-Redlands is the largest running event in the Inland Empire. Events total more than 2,500 participants - with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines. All races begin (the first one at 7:25 AM) at Smiley Public Library and end at Redlands Bowl - the two best spots to view all of the events, since courses vary. Generally, the courses are half uphill and half downhill.
There are other benefits keeping pace with the exhilaration, thrill, and spectacle of it all. Run-Through-Redlands raises more than $37,000 annually, 100 percent of which is pumped back into our city to aid various youth venues and community programs. All manpower is donated by Kiwanis members, their families, and community friends. This yearhis 6th time heading up the raceTim Murone is chairman.
Everyone is invited to watch for FREE. Racers can register online at www.redlandsevents.com (where you can also go for more information and course maps for best viewing of particular events) or at The Running Center, Redlands Chamber of Commerce, or the Redlands City Clerks Office. Early registration, by April 24, is $25 for the 5K and 10K, and $35 for the Half-Marathon (which includes T-shirt). The 2K Run For Fun is $15 (including T-shirt) and the Kinderdash is $5 (no T-shirt). Prizes include a $200 gift certificate for overall male and female winners in the 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon events, plus 1st-5th place medals.
So join this Human Race...and let that little kid bottled up inside of you run (or watch)...just for the fun of it.
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