Annual 5K run, walk returning to Raceway Woods

The annual Raceway 5K Fun Run and Walk is returning to Carpentersville with a new challenge that allows participants to enter in teams.

The third annual event is 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Meadowdale International Raceway in Raceway Woods, located at Route 31 and Huntley Road. The race serves as a fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning, said Jeff Provisor, Rotarian and event organizer.

The race's newest feature is a Corporate Challenge, where teams of five or more runners can enter. The team with the five best times will win a free dinner from Rosati's Pizza.

"It's a good (incentive to bring) more people along," Provisor said. "It also makes it fun if you can get your buddies to suffer with you and have a good time."

Chip timing, which allows participants to instantly receive their results, is also new this year.

When Rotarians first considered Raceway Woods as the location for the inaugural 5K, they found it was a perfect fit, Provisor said. The trail, which is almost exactly the appropriate length of the race, is a closed course so the village didn't have to worry about interrupting traffic.

The location also provides a unique experience, he said, with beautiful scenery and terrain and hills throughout the park.

"This is not an easy 5K," Provisor said. "It's not a flat run, so you've really got to love running to run at Raceway. It's a good challenge."

Race registration costs $30 per person, and all proceeds go back to the Rotary Club for the charities and projects it supports. For example, Provisor said, the club gives coats to families in need during the winter and Easter baskets to children in the spring. They also fund scholarships through Elgin Community College.

Registration for this year's race has already exceeded last year, which drew in 120 runners.

Though online registration has closed, Provisor said participants can still register at Main Street Bicycles, 39 E. Main St., Carpentersville. Same-day registration starts at 6:30 a.m. at the event.

"We want this to be something that people really enjoy doing, whether it be competitive or for camaraderie," Provisor said.