GREENFIELD — When Lyndi Grubb visited Kakuda, Japan, in 1994, it changed her life.
Grubb realized while the two countries had cultural changes, their people had more similarities than differences.
In addition, the trip instilled a love of travel in her that endures to this day. Grubb and the Sister Cities of Greenfield are working to ensure more Greenfield youth will have the opportunity to have that life-changing experience.
The fourth annual Sister Cities of Greenfield 5K Run/Walk will be 9 a.m. Aug. 20, beginning at the Sister Cities Park next to the Greenfield Police Department, 116 S. State St., Greenfield.
The Sister Cities program began when Keihin IPT Manufacturing, 400 W. New Road., was established in Greenfield under then-Mayor Keith McClarnon, Grubb said.
It started as a relationship between the two cities, then later developed into a board that helps provide funding for area students and chaperones to travel to Kakuda, and for Kakuda youths and chaperones to be hosted here.
Grubb, a past president of the board, hopes to have 200 people come out for the 5k this year.
The course will head west on the Pennsy Trail and be an “out and back” run, returning to downtown.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and the top three female finishers. There also will be door prizes from local businesses raffled off before the start of the run/walk.
The event will be timed, and results will be available after the race at carpevita.org; to register online, visit getme registered.com/sistercities5k. The cost of the event is $20 until Aug. 6, which includes a T-shirt; after that date, entrants are not guaranteed a shirt.
