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Going the distance

New 5K event added to annual Bellin Run

The 5K and 10K race will start at the same time, from the same startline, so participants in both events can enjoy the same camaraderie and excitement as they begin the race.

By Janelle Fisher

City Pages Editor

As the Bellin Run returns for its 47th annual 10K event, a new race distance has been added to the lineup for this year.

This year’s Bellin Run, set to take place Saturday, June 10, will add a new 5K distance option — an addition Race Director Linda Maxwell said she hopes will give even more people the opportunity to participate.

“This event really is about getting feet on the street,” she said. “It’s all about getting the people in our community active, because we know what’s such an important component to their overall health and wellness. By adding a 5K, we are opening it up to more people for whom the 10K might have been a bit challenging.”

Maxwell said the 5K offers an opportunity for people to work their way up to the 10K if that’s their goal, or just as a way to incorporate regular exercise into their routine.

“It is great for people who are maybe making that step up,” she said. “They’re earlier in their wellness journey, and so it’s a stepping stone for them to maybe get up to the 10K… If you’re training for it, you’re doing it on a regular basis, that can be enough for people to stay active and to get in the activity that they need to do every week, week after week, in order to stay healthy. You don’t have to do a 10K or a half-marathon or a marathon to really be healthy. As long as you’re getting out on a regular basis and getting that 30-60 minutes of activity on a regular basis, that’s going to be enough for a lot of people.”

Three Packers players will be stationed along the route to encourage both 5K and 10K participants. Submitted photos

Regardless of what your personal goals are or your motivation for running the 5K, Maxwell said it’s not really about the distance you run on race day, but the work you put into it along the way.

“We’re opening it up for more people so they can be involved in this great event and use it as their motivation for staying active,” she said. “That’s really the intention of this. We know that on race day, your fitness level does not improve significantly from running the Bellin Run or running on the second Saturday in June. Your fitness level improves by training for that event, so race day really is that celebration. By providing this goal event for more people by adding the 5K in, we are having a greater impact on the health and wellness of the people in our community.”

So far, Maxwell said the 5K has been well-received, with many signed up for the event already and time still to sign up for those who may be on the fence.

“Right now, about a third of our participants are registered for the 5K,” she said. “We are encouraging people to sign up… They can sign up through Friday, June 9 — online through Thursday, but then on Friday they can register on site at Astor Park between 3-8 p.m. We know that people are out there and they’re ready to go, they just haven’t taken that step to get registered. We encourage them to get out there because, well, they will really enjoy it. We have great entertainment on the course and the feeling of camaraderie with the other participants and the spectators on the course make it so fun and exciting.”

Helping to make the run exciting, Maxwell said, will be three Packers players to encourage both 5K and 10K participants.

“We have three Packers who are going to be there to encourage people,” she said. “And we moved their spot to a place where both the 5K and the 10K participants will get to see those three Packers players. So they’ll be there to encourage them. We’ll have entertainment and music along the course, just like the 10K. We want the experience to be as exciting for the 5K as it has been for the 10K participants.”

To find out more about Bellin’s new 5K run and to sign up, visit bellinrun.com.

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