The 10th annual MacArthur Park 5K begins at 7 p.m. Friday in front of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock.
Racers will be chip-timed, and awards will be given three-deep by sex and age group. (Timing chips must be returned after the race.)
After the racers are away a Dog Jog family fun run will begin at 7:10 p.m. It will make a one-mile lap through MacArthur Park. All dogs must be on a leash. Children under 5 can participate for free, and strollers are welcome.
Online registration for both runs is available until 11:59 p.m. Thursday for $30 (kids 5 to 12 will pay $10). Registration includes a T-shirt (while supplies last) and entry into the after-race lawn party, which includes food, music and adult- or kid-friendly beverages.
Packet pickup and race-day registration will both be from 5 to 6:45 p.m. Friday on the second floor of the MacArthur Military Museum.
All of the proceeds benefit MacArthur Park. The museum is at 503 E. Ninth St. For registration, go to runsignup.com and search for "MacArthur Park 5K."
Outback in the Ozarks Pure Trail Edition
A monster 205-mile (one way) relay race from Eureka Springs to Fayetteville (taking place this year Oct. 27 and 28) has inspired a namesake relay.
The original Outback in the Ozarks splits its 205 miles into 36 legs run relay-style by teams of four to 12 people. The course meanders through the Ozarks and five state parks via secondary asphalt roads, dirt and gravel roads, and single-track trail. Each team includes two support vans that ferry extra gear and teammates to exchange points, and runners go 18 to 50 miles each.
This weekend's inaugural Pure Trail Edition mimics that event on a smaller scale.
The total distance is 120-ish miles run completely on three loops of single-track trail, all beginning and ending in Lake Leatherwood Park, 1303 Carroll County Road 204 in Eureka Springs.
The loops are three, five and seven miles long. A team consists of eight members and each member will run each loop once (ultrarunner teams of four would run each loop twice). Since all the loops begin and end in the same spot, vans aren't necessary, and teammates waiting their turn can hang out in the campgrounds or sleep in their tents.
The website says that online registration is available until 10 p.m. Thursday, but it only provides the option to join an existing team for $130. Organizer Kimberlee Guin said that while team registration is closed, some teams are short members due to injuries. A single runner (or possibly a pair of runners if they wished to be on the same team) could join an existing team and receive all the team benefits, which include a T-shirt, finisher's medal, camping and some food.
Also, anyone interested in volunteering will receive a discount on future Outback in the Ozarks events. Interested parties should email outbackrunner@gmail.com, attention Kimberlee Guin.
Check-in for this 120-mile (ish) race will be between 8 and 10 a.m. Friday at Lake Leatherwood Park. Teams will begin the race with staggered departure times after 10 a.m.
With a 30-hour time limit (average pace of 15 minutes per mile), the run will end in mid-afternoon Saturday. This time cap will be strictly enforced. Progress will be reviewed by organizers at 18 hours and 24 hours, and any teams not holding the pace will have to skip a leg (or legs) to catch up. Runners whose legs are skipped have the option to pace their teammates.
Volunteers will be waiting every couple of miles with a radio in case of an emergency, but there won't be aid stations. Runners should carry, at minimum, a hydration pack, race food and a headlamp or flashlight.
Part of the race proceeds will benefit volunteer fire departments throughout Northwest Arkansas. For more information, visit outbackintheozarks.com.
Toad Suck Duathlon
The Toad Suck Daze Run 10K will start at 8 a.m. Saturday (a wheelchair division will begin at 7:58) at the John McConnell Stadium Fieldhouse, Conway High School West campus, 2300 Prince St. in Conway.
A 5K Fun Run will follow at 8:15, and a Tadpole Trot for ages 4 to 12 begins at 10.
Online registration is available until Friday. The 5K and 10K cost $25, and the Tadpole Trot costs $10. There are small handling fees for online registration.
Packet pickup will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at The Sporty Runner, 1016 Van Ronkle St. Race-day registration ($30) and packet pickup will be at the starting line from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
Racers will be chip-timed, and 5K and 10K awards will go three deep by sex and age group (top two in the wheelchair division).
Tykes can register on site for the Tadpole Trot until 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Boys and girls will run separately on the track. Ages 4 to 8 will run 200 meters; 9 and 10 will run 400 meters; and 11 and 12 will run 800 meters. The top three in each race will get awards, and all participants will receive a ribbon.
More information is at toadsuckrun.com.
The second piece of this duathlon is the Tour de Toad bicycle ride, which begins at 11 a.m. at Conway Municipal Airport, 3250 Sand Gap Road.
Online registration costs $45 and is available through Friday for the 25- or 50-mile route. A 10-mile Family Ride costs $35 for adults, $20 for youngsters. Ride-day registration will be available at 10 a.m. but will cost an extra $5 for the longer two rides.
Participants must register for the run and ride separately; anyone who completes both events will receive an Iron Toad medal.
For registration and more information, go to literacylittlerock.org.
Please send tips for active recreation to
cbyrd@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 05/01/2017