GREENFIELD — As his alter-ego Batman, Mike Foster raced to victory at last year’s Superhero 5K. He plans to defend his title at this year’s event — perhaps as Batman, or maybe Iron Man.
As the Greenfield-Central Junior High cross-country coach, he is excited to see the running community in Greenfield growing and becoming more aware of fitness through healthy lifestyle events.
The Superhero 5K and Kids Dash, sponsored by Hancock4Kids and Healthy 365, is one such event. It kicks off a day of fitness on the morning of June 16 from the Courthouse Plaza, 1 Courthouse Plaza.
Walk-in registration and packet pick-up begin at 8 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 6 through 17. Participation in the Kids Dash is free.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryAt 9 a.m. local singer Haley Jonay, who recently released her self-titled debut album, will sing the national anthem, and the Kids Dash is on. Open to children through age 12, the race course runs about 100 yards. Parents are allowed to accompany their children.
“We had tinys that were just starting to walk. Their parents ran alongside them,” Everidge said. “We let them run first, and everyone cheered on our little heroes.”
All participating children receive a medal and a coupon for an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen.
At 9:15 a.m., after the children have been cheered on to victory, the adults will line up for the 5K. The route starts from the Courthouse Plaza and heads down the Pennsy Trail in a loop heading east and finishing where the race began. The route features two stops with water and Gatorade and a hydration station at the finish of the race.
The top male and female finishers of the 5K each receive $50, and all participants earn a medal. Drinks and running snacks are also available to all who ran.
“The race is timed,” Everidge said, “and the times will be posted on the Healthy365 Facebook page.”
All race participants, children and adults, are also eligible to win multiple raffle prizes. The names of all participants, Everidge explained, go into a pool for raffle prizes.
Among the raffle items are a That Fun Place party pack, family day passes to the Riley Park Swimming Pool and free haircuts from Fantastic Sam’s.
In addition to the race and raffle prizes, a DJ will be on hand spinning tunes for the runners; more than 20 vendors — agencies and non-profits who work with children and families throughout Hancock County — will be in attendance with information about their services; children have the opportunity to make Father’s Day cards at the craft station; and some real live superheroes (and one villain) — Iron Man, Mrs. Incredible, Darth Vader, Princess Leia and the Incredible Hulk — will be available for photo opportunities for the kids and adults.
It’s not called the Superhero 5K for nothing. All participants are encouraged to wear superhero costumes for the event.
Of the 100 or so who ran last year, probably about half of them were in costume, Everidge said.
“This year, the first 100 children to check in will receive a free cape and a mask,” she added.
It’s no coincidence that the Superhero 5K takes place on the same day as the North Street Fitness Festival just a few blocks away, organizers admit. Initially the Fitness Festival was in May, but consecutive years of inclement weather forced a change.
“The Superhero 5K was on that same day last year,” Everidge said. “We moved the North Street Fitness Festival to the same day as the Superhero 5K with the intention to make it a great day. So when looking at a new date for that, it made sense to make downtown Greenfield a destination for the day and host both events.”
The North Street Fitness Festival, in its fourth year, takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event includes vendors, a rock wall, fitness demos, a zip line, and numerous opportunities for physical fitness. New this year at the festival is the Corporate Challenge, where businesses are invited to participate to earn points and bragging rights.
The Superhero 5K counts as a Corporate Challenge event along with a football toss and a basketball shoot-out.
“The idea,” Everidge said, “is not for just 30 minutes or an hour, but you spend all day in downtown Greenfield with these events.”
Funds raised from the Superhero 5K will be split between Hancock4Kids and Healthy365.
Hancock4Kids, now in its third year, is the name given to the child abuse prevention coalition for Hancock County. Its mission is to foster a community where children flourish free from abuse and neglect, and to be a catalyst for preventing child abuse in all its forms through education and awareness activities in Hancock County.
Healthy365, led by Amanda Everidge, is a Hancock Regional Hospital-sponsored initiative that works to improve the health status of Hancock County.
Foster, last year’s winner, hopes to repeat as the Superhero 5K winner, if not in tights, at least in running shoes.
“Anything that gets the kids out and active, I’m a fan of,” Foster said.
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The Superhero 5K and Kid Dash opens for registration at 8 a.m. June 16 at the Courthouse Plaza. Registration for adults is $25; children 6 to 17 are $15. The Kid Dash is free.
For more information, visit Hancock Superhero 5K on Facebook.
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