Get ready to lace up those running shoes because this Fourth of July you are going to need them.
The Woodward High School Cross Country team is sponsoring a Firecracker 5K and one mile fun run at Crystal Beach Park on July 4 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Registration for the run is going on right now.
Proceeds from the run will go to the cross country team which is in its third year of existence. The money will be used to purchase uniforms and warm-ups for the team.
Those who participate in the race will not leave empty handed either. Each participant receives a t-shirt along with free admission to the showers and water park after the race.
Members of the cross country team and their parents will cook a pancake breakfast, free for all those who run, at the Crystal Beach Pool concession stand following the race and opening ceremony. Those who do not run in the race will still be able to attend the pancake breakfast, but for a fee.
Scott Grunewald, an organizer of the event, said the fundraiser is something the team has wanted to do for some time, but they did not know when to hold it. He said the Woodward Convention and Tourism Bureau stepped up and offered them a slot at the Fourth of July celebration.
Thus far Grunewald has said people have been receptive to the 5K and mile fun run. He said people from places like Tulsa and Kansas have been e-mailing him about it.
“There’s interest out there,” he said, “but we expect a lot of people to show up at the last minute.”
He said because so many people will be coming from out-of-town on Friday to see some of the bands and other activities going on at Crystal Beach, there will be more people who will sign-up for the runs.
Grunewald also said that the one mile fun run should attract different kinds of people, such as those who have kids in strollers.
Trophies will be given out to the top overall male and female runners. There will be medals awarded to the top three in each age division of the 5K and the fun run.
Age groups for the run include those under 12, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and over 60.
The runs will start near the water park and go around the perimeter of the golf course and Crystal Beach Lake before ending back at the water park.
For those who are interested in running, registration forms are available on-line and can be mailed in. By going to www.cityofwoodward.com, those who are interested can scroll down to the Firecracker 5K Run and click on the entry form link.
