Naperville Sunrise Rotary St. Patty's Day 5K Registration Under Way Run to benefit Teen Mental Health Early Intervention
The Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise, in cooperation with West Suburban Irish, is hosting a 5K Race, Run, or Walk on Saturday, March 11, 2017 in Downtown Naperville. Participation in this event is a great way for families, residents, visitors and students to join in the St. Paddy's Day spirit.
This year's race is supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness of DuPage County ("NAMI DuPage") and its early intervention program called Ending the Silence. This program helps teens learn to recognize the early warning signs of mental illness and what to do if they or someone they know is exhibiting these signs. In the last academic year this program reached more than 19,000 students across DuPage County, including close to 6,000 in Naperville.
The Race begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. and will follow the St. Patrick's Day Parade route through scenic and historic downtown Naperville. The race will be run prior to the parade, in plenty of time to watch the parade which kicks off at 10:00am. Spectators for the parade arrive early to cheer on runners. Every intersection along the parade route will be supervised by sets of parade marshals to ensure everyone's safety and enjoyment.
The Start and end for the 5K will be at Jackson and West Street near Centennial Beach in Naperville. A post-race party for racers and sponsors will take place in the registration tent, featuring a selection of refreshments including corned beef sandwiches and green beer.
Costumes are encouraged and will be judged for prizes prior to the race.
This event is for racers, runners, and walkers. The course is a measured 5K race, and professional timing services (e.g., chip time) will be used to ensure race time accuracy. A disposable timing chip is attached to each numbered race number. Those registering prior to the race will receive a Technical Running Shirt in either men's or women's sizes. Registration is available to 3000 entrants. Race day registration is also available, up to the maximum allowed entrants. Overall and age group awards will be provided. Early bird registration for adults and youth and additional information is available at www/stpattysday5k.org. Adult registration fee goes up on March 1.
Awards will be provided and race results are posted online shortly after the race. As an added service to the community, we have partnered with Winged Foot Foundation (WFF) in the collection of new or used running shoes. WFF will clean and distribute the shoes to assist student athletes in the Chicago area. Bins for shoe donations will be available during advance packet pickup at the Naperville Running Company and on race day at the information area and Gear Check. Also, we have partnered with Working Bikes Chicago - www.workingbikes.org will have a drop off point from 7:00 am until noon near Centennial Beach at the 2017 St Paddy's Day 5k run on Saturday, March 11th, to collect used bikes in working or repairable condition for shipment to the needy in Lesotho, Africa.
The Naperville Sunrise Rotary Foundation is a 501c3 not-for profit organized totally by volunteer philanthropists. It is a separate legal entity from the Naperville Sunrise Rotary and has its own budget. 100% of our money raised by the race and other foundation projects goes to other charities and causes. Rotary Clubs around the world host events to raise funds for local charities and for Rotary International. The Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise event is scheduled to be the first 5K of the season in the Chicago metropolitan area. Be sure to join us in celebration of the Irish heritage.