GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The 46th annual Bellin Run is coming up this weekend, but there are events leading up to it for people to check out as well.
People will toe the line at 8am on Saturday. But the running really starts Thursday, with the Charity Fun Run in Astor Park.
“We just do a quick 2 mile run. It’s a very, very easy pace and we run along with the great runners. It’s a great way for our participants to be able to chat with them and ask them questions,” said Assistant Race Director, Linda Maxwell.
It’s participants’ chance to run with elites including defending Bellin Run champs Jared Ward and Risper Gesabwa, as well as Bellin Run newcomer Makenna Myler, who became an internet sensation after running a 5:25 mile while nine months pregnant.
Donations are on a freewill basis and can be made online or in person at Astor Park during the event. Moneys raised will benefit myTEAM TRIUMPH.
There is also a series of activities in Astor Park set for Friday.
“Our health and fitness expo is wonderful with vendors and Bellin experts from various brands. We even have something called the pharmacy – it’s a play on pharmacy and farms, and they’re giving away tomato plants,” Maxwell said.
Along with the expo, there is a pasta dinner, athlete autographs, and a registration tent.
But it wouldn’t be a race event without a bit of running involved.
The Back to the Road Crew is made up of people who have faced recovery and rehabilitation from surgery or a major illness and want to get “Back to the Road.” They will set off on a one-mile run around Astor Park at 4 p.m. to celebrate their recovery.
“People who had hip or knee replacements, gone to cardiac rehab, and cancer survivors get to have their own Bellin Run at Astor Park. They get to experience the Bellin Run in a way that they can experience,” Maxwell said.
At 5 p.m., the TRIUMPH Mile will take place. It’s a one-mile walk/run for individuals with mild disabilities who require guidance from able-bodied athletes.
The event’s goal is to provide a health-enhancing and mentor-building opportunity for individuals with disabilities by utilizing a team-based endurance athletic approach.
“That’s just a wonderful way to encourage people who might not be able to do the 10 K,” Maxwell said.
Then at 6 p.m., there’s the Children’s Run – which is a half-mile run around the park. Registration is just $12, or $15 in person on Friday evening. Participants receive an official Bellin Run T-shirt and some other cool souvenirs.
“The kids get to do their half mile events, they get a medal at the finish. There’s a giveaway, which is a cape, so they can all be super heroes. They’re gonna give that to them in the start corral, so they can have their capes on when they do their event,” Maxwell said. “It’s a great way to model active and fun behavior for our youngest community members.”
Registration is available at https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/GreenBay/Bellin.
The Bellin Run itself sets off at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Maxwell says the excitement for an in-person race is palpable.
“People get the toe the line with those elite athletes, but it’s for everyone – from people who are looking for best time to walkers who just want it complete the event…That feeling at the start line where we play ‘Chariots of Fire’, you can see how excited they are, and then as you cross the finish line, that sense of accomplishment,” Maxwell told WTAQ News. “We really intend for this event to be a celebration of the training. We’ve been helping people all along to get trained for the event and try to get in the habit of being active.”
There will be road closures during the run, but Maxwell says they have things down to a science when it comes to getting roads back open.
“We try to keep the roads open as quickly as possible, so it’s a rolling opening. So as the last of the runners and walkers get through, we clean up and then we open the road,” Maxwell said.
Over 5,000 people are set to take part in the run itself, with about 8,000 expected to participate in at least one of the activities. Online registration for the Bellin Run runs through Thursday, with on-site registration from 3-8 p.m. Friday afternoon. There will be no race-day registration.
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