The MidSouth Marathon and Half Marathon will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Wynne High School stadium, 800 E. Jackson Ave., Wynne.
Online registration has already closed, but in-person registration will be available at the MidSouth Marathon Expo from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at Wynne First Assembly of God, 1900 Killough Road N. The marathon will cost $50 and the half marathon will cost $40. There will also be a pasta dinner available for runners and their families during the expo that costs $10 per person; kids 12 and under eat free.
Race-day registration and last-minute packet pickup will be available at the Wynne High School stadium from 6 to 7:30 a.m. Saturday
The deadline has passed to guarantee an event T-shirt, but remaining shirts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Both courses will be out and back style, primarily flat but with some rolling hills. The course is on lightly trafficked roads that will not be completely closed to traffic. Runners are expected to exercise caution and follow traffic laws. The turnaround for the half marathon runners will be marked by two hay bales in the middle of the road. There will be fully stocked aid stations approximately every mile.
Runners will be chip timed and awards will be given three deep by sex in each distance for the following categories: overall, masters (ages 40 and up), grand masters (ages 50 and up), and seniors (ages 60 and up). Awards will also be given out three deep by sex for the fastest runners in each distance by age group, mostly in five-year increments. The half marathon award ceremony will begin at 11:45 a.m., and the marathon awards will begin at 1:30 p.m. All participants who complete the race will receive a finisher's medal.
Course support for runners will close at 2 p.m. Runners may finish the course, but course support will not be available after that time.
Showers and dressing rooms will be available for runners at Wynne High School. The post-race barbecue lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be some massage therapists available for any post-race aches and pains at no charge, but gratuity will be accepted.
It's too late to register this year, but for next year's knowledge the MidSouth Marathon sponsors a kids marathon for children grades 2 through 5. Registration is only $10 per child, with children logging 25 miles over the weeks and months leading up to marathon race day. Participating kids will run the last 1.2 miles together and receive an event T-shirt and finisher's medal.
For those interested in record breaking, the course records for the MidSouth Marathon are: overall male, Randy Starr, 2:29:54.76; overall female, Joyce Deason, 3:09:59.25; masters male, Lance Winders, 2:41:25.13; and masters female, Barbie Hilderbrand, 3:28:09.23.
For more information, including local hotels, and directions to the MidSouth Marathon Expo or Wynne High School, visit midsouthmarathon.com.
Tour duh Sunken Lands
This scenic bike ride will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, 117 Main St., Tyronza.
Online registration is available until midnight today for $50 per rider. Onsite registration will be available beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Tyronza Senior Center, which is located next door to the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. Registration includes entrance to all the museums along the way, and each rider will receive a post-ride meal ticket hosted by Tyboogies Cafe in Tyronza.
The Tour duh Sunken Lands follows a loop of about 52 miles, and includes stops at Whitton Farms, Dyess Administration Building (includes a bus ride to Johnny Cash's boyhood home), the Rivervale Tunnels, The Painted House used in the movie based on John Grisham's book of the same name, and the Marked Tree Delta Area Museum, before finishing back where it started at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum.
This will not be a closed course. Riders are required to wear helmets and follow rules of the road. There will be a vehicle available to pick up stranded riders.
For online registration and complete route information, visit sunkenlands.com.
Run for Shelter 5K
The Run for Shelter 5K will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Little Rock's Murray Park off Rebsamen Park Road.
Online registration is available until 11 p.m. Friday for $25.
Packet pickup and in-person registration will be noon to 6 p.m. Friday at Go! Running in the Heights, 1819 N. Grant St., Little Rock.
Race-day registration and packet pickup will be available at the Murray Park Pavilions from 8 a.m. until the start of the race (cash or check only on race day). Registration includes a swag bag, food and drink at the finish line, and an event T-shirt. The deadline to "reserve" a T-shirt has already passed, but organizers say that T-shirts will still be available for race-day registrants.
The course goes out from Murray Park on the Arkansas River Trail to the Big Dam Bridge and back. This writer hasn't run this particular 5K, but that loop of the River Trail is about as flat as it gets inside Little Rock city limits.
Awards will be given to the fastest runners from each age group, and the top three male and female runners overall will receive a one-of-a-kind rock trophy. Yes, real rock.
Run for Shelter 5K benefits Rock of Hope, a local nonprofit that's working to eliminate homelessness in central Arkansas.
For online registration, go to racesonline.com and search "Run for Shelter 5K."
Please send tips for active recreation to
cbyrd@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 10/31/2016