BATESVILLE — The sixth annual Bad Boy Kids’ Splash and Dash will feature swimming, running and a 16-foot water slide for children to splash around on in the sun.
Adults are also welcome to participate in the Bad Boy Adult Super Sprint Triathlon, which will include swimming, biking and running while enjoying the view.
The events will take place July 8 at Lyon College in Batesville.
All proceeds from the USA Triathlon-sanctioned event will benefit the Ozark Foothills Literacy Project.
Morgan Winston, executive director of the Ozark Foothills Literacy Project, said teenagers have also participated in the adult race in the past.
Winston said registration for the children’s races will open at 7 a.m., with races beginning at 9 a.m.
Registration can be completed on-site, or participants can register online for $20, she said.
“Kids ages 5 to 18 will begin in the pool and swim distances based on their age group. Floaties are allowed,” she said.
“They then move to the running portion. They’ll be awarded a participation medal at the finish line; then first, second and third places will be awarded in each of the four age groups,” she said.
Winston said a giant water slide will be waiting on children after the races.
Adult races will begin at 7:30 a.m. on the scenic Lyon College campus, with registration opening at 7 a.m.
First-, second-, third-place and participant medals, crafted by Bad Boy Mowers, will be awarded in the adult race, as well.
Adult registration is $50 ahead of time and $75 the day of the event. Relay teams may also be registered for $30 per person.
Winston said doughnuts will be provided at the registration table, and refreshments will be waiting for runners at the finish line.
T-shirts and goody bags full of coupons and promotional items from sponsors will also be handed out to runners while supplies last, she said.
“The Literacy Project is a small nonprofit doing huge things in their service area. Volunteers serve over 100 students per year in Fulton, Sharp, Izard and Independence counties, teaching them to read, write or speak English. [The volunteers are] changing lives every day,” she said.
Winston said one in five people in Arkansas reads at or below a third-grade level.
“This presents challenges in every aspect of daily life and leads to higher rates of poverty, poorer health and a continued cycle of poor literacy levels,” she said.
“Imagine not being able to read a recipe, a prescription label or a newspaper,” she said.
Social stigma prevents many people struggling with illiteracy to get help, she said, and the goals of the students at the Ozark Foothills Literacy Council vary.
Winston said many students feel isolated from the rest of the community and may not want to be identified as students, but these events allow them an opportunity to meet their neighbors.
“Our mission is to empower adults and improve communities through education. It’s been proven that higher education levels lead to lower poverty and crime rates, better health and continued success for future generations. The Literacy Project is important because our communities are important; our families are important,” Winston said.
Bruce Oakley, secretary of White River Roadrunners, said he’s deeply hooked into the running community in Batesville.
Oakley said he directs the run segments of the events by setting up the course markings and supervising course monitors on race day.
“As part of the original event team, now I serve as mentor when a new [Literacy Project] director takes over event management. I also help some with publication connections and spreading the word to the athletic community through social media and club contacts,” Oakley said.
“I myself am on disability with Crohn’s disease, so I am an active volunteer and advocate with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and if I can manage my rest and refueling, I give back wherever I can,” he said.
Oakley said the Ozark Foothills Literacy Project’s AmeriCorps workers volunteer as course monitors at Roadrunner races in return.
“I love to see the young ones do things they didn’t know they could do and for young parents to have the chance to see and cheer them the whole way,” he said.
Oakley said literacy is essential to democracy, and The Literacy Project is dedicated to teaching adults the skills they need to be fully functioning members of an increasingly technical society.
Winston said everyone deserves to be educated.
“This event, and others like it, bring the community together for a good cause,” Winston said. “All members of the family can participate, and there’s something for everyone.”
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.