Run Thru the Hills 5K/10K returns Sunday to Lake in the Hills

Since 1999, racers have been coming back year after year to Run Thru the Hills in Lake in the Hills.

The race, which starts along the Randall Road corridor behind the AMC Lake in the Hills 12 movie theater, will take place again on Sunday, April 30.

Participants have the choice of doing either a 5K, 10K, or 5K Ruck Run/Walk, which has participants strapping 30 pounds onto their backs to do the race.

New this year, there also will be a kids dash for the little ones that come along to cheer on their family members and friends in the longer races, said Alex Zewde, the race director and a recreation supervisor with the village of Lake in the Hills, which sponsors the race.

Apart from that, the race is the same as it has been in years past, which has drawn loyal participants year after year, he said.

"We have no real changes," Zewde said. "We do have the kids dash that we will be doing, but otherwise the race is pretty much the same as in years past."

The race previously had a one-mile kids race, he said. However, the interest in that dropped over the years, and organizers discontinued it and added the kids dash this year, he said.

"Each person get a ribbon and a time stamp, and it allows them to participate while being there," he said of the kids dash.

Organizers added the Ruck Run/Walk to the Run Thru the Hills race last year.

"There were a good number of people that did it, especially from the military," Zewde said.

He expects more people may take on the challenge this year.

The main races, however, are what participants have come to expect year after year from the Run Thru the Hills race.

"That's one of the great things about the races we do," Zewde said. "We have a bit of a following. We are lucky a lot of people enjoy our races. We see them race after race.

"We definitely have new people each year, too," she said.

Zewde said he expects about 270 people to participate.

The race will have overall winners for the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each of the 5K and 10K Run Thru the Hills races.

Zewde says if anyone would like to volunteer to help with the race, they can call the village of Lake in the Hills at (847) 960-7460.

"I think it's a great opportunity for people in our community to come out and see this race and what's going on," he said. "The more volunteers the better."

The Run Thru the Hills race begins at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. at AMC Theaters, 311 Randall Road, Lake in the Hills.

Participants also can register online at raceentry.com/race-reviews/run-thru-the-hills-/.

Registration is $40.

For information call (847) 960-7460.