By Sonia Fuller
Don’t be a lone wolf. Save the date and plan to join the pack this year for Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School’s (ANCS) second annual Run with the Wolves 5K, 1 Mile, and Health Fair on Saturday, April 20. Runners and walkers of all ages (and speeds) are invited to participate in the 5K at 8:30am or the 1 Mile at 9:30am, with event day race registration beginning bright and early at 7:30am. The Health Fair, including local area health and fitness businesses and providers, will be from 8:00am until noon.
The morning event will be held at ANCS’s middle school campus located at 820 Essie Avenue in Ormewood Park. Parking is limited to some of the streets near the school. All nearby neighbors are encouraged to warm up for the race by walking or biking, not driving, to the event. Organizers would like to encourage others to carpool when possible, and be courteous of neighbors along the race route and when parking.
Pre-register by April 15 at www.Active.com. Pre-registered fees for the 5K and 1 Mile, respectively, are $20 and $15. Race day registration will cost $25 for the 5K and $20 for the 1 Mile. The Health Fair is free and open to the general public.
Pre-registered participants for the 5K and 1 Mile will receive a specially designed short-sleeved, 100% cotton event shirt. Awards will be presented to first overall male and female; top finishers in 13 age categories, masters male/female, and overall stroller male/female. Participants in the 1 Mile races will receive award ribbons.
“We had so much fun with last year’s races and health fair, and had such great neighborhood participation. We were so excited to see neighbors, as well as families and students from all of the various schools in our cluster, out early on a Saturday morning starting their weekend off with a healthy activity,” said ANCS elementary physical exercise teacher and event coordinator Kerrie Hall.
Hall added, “We were all surprised – and extremely excited – when the 5K was won in under 21 minutes by ANCS fifth-grader Alex Roberson, especially considering we had more than 300 people participating in that particular race. I’m pretty sure that we’ll have several adults, including ANCS Executive Director Matt Underwood, who will be looking to beat that time this year.”
Run with the Wolves is still looking for sponsors, health fair participants, and volunteers. If you are interested in helping out or learning more about what is needed, please email RunWithTheWolves@atlncs.org for more information.
Organized by the ANCS PTCA and the school’s Health and Wellness Committee, the Run with the Wolves events are a further demonstration of the school’s intent to support healthy kids and families. The school provides students with a wide variety of physical activities including sports clubs, daily recess, and physical education classes as well as a nutritious lunch program and class snacks.
“We want our students to embrace healthy choices in both nutrition and lifestyle, so we do our best to educate them inside and out of the classroom,” said Lauri McKenna, chair of this Run with the Wolves activities. “This event helps them put their learnings to use in a fun way, that can also include their families.”
Please visit www.Atlncs.org/5k to learn more about the Run with the Wolves 5K, 1 Mile, and Health Fair. A full schedule of events, a course map, and other information is included on the website. Please send all questions to runwiththewolves@altncs.org.
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