Reindeer Run 5K takes off in Wheaton

Many people struggle with two things during the winter: tolerating the cold and tolerating all the sweet treats the holiday season brings.

The Wheaton Lions Club and Wheaton Park District offer their solution: the seventh annual Lions Club Reindeer Run 5K from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

The race is certified by the Chicago Area Runners Association, with a route starting on Main Street, north of Front Street, and ending near the DuPage County Historical Museum on Wesley Street. Awards will be given to the top male and female finishers, and the top three finishers per age group.

Profits benefit Wheaton Lions Club, established in 1923 with the purpose of serving the sight- and hearing-impaired. Wheaton Lions Club collects "eyeglasses and hearing aids to improve the lives of needy people everywhere," and also offers "college scholarship assistance to high school seniors with sight or hearing impairment," according to wheatonlions.org.

The Reindeer Run is open to runners and walkers of all ages. Registration is $35 individual and $30 individual in a team. Teams must have a minimum of four people to qualify for a team rate. Register online at active.com, keyword "reindeer run," through Tuesday, Dec. 1. Registration will be available during packet pickup and on race day for $40 individual.

The first 1,000 participants to pick up their microchip-equipped race bibs will receive a long-sleeved tech shirt and pair of antlers. Packet pickup will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Community Center, 1777 S. Blanchard Road, Wheaton, or the morning of the race starting at 7 a.m.

For more information about the race, visit wheatonparkdistrict.com/reindeerrun or contact race director Ryan Miller at rmiller@wheatonparks.org or (630) 510-5135.