BENTONVILLE — The Bentonville Running Festival should have more than 3,000 participants, said David Wright, parks and recreation director. The annual festival will be held April 5.
The festival, which includes a half marathon, a relay, a 5K and one-mile run, had 1,200 runners in 2012. It had 2,700 participants from 28 states last year, Wright said. About 70 percent of those runners came from Benton and Washington counties. Others came from as far away as California and Florida, he said.
At A Glance
Bentonville Running Festival
The Bentonville Running Festival will be held April 5 and will begin on the town square. The festival features:
• Chip-timed, USAFT certified courses for the half marathon and 5K races.
• Commemorative Tech T-shirts for half marathoners.
• Commemorative T-shirts for all 5K and fun runners.
• Medals for all half marathon finishers.
• "Fun Medals" for fun runners.
• Finish line celebration with live music, food, vendors and inflatables for kids.
Source: Bentonville Running Festival
The Race for the Cure in Rogers drew more than 10,000 runners for its four timed and untimed events last year. The Hogeye Marathon and Relays in Fayetteville drew more than 1,400 runners last year.
The Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau spent just more than $8,000 in advertising to promote the festival in Arkansas and nearby states, said Blair Cromwell, vice president of communication.
The festival is highlighted by a half marathon that starts and finishes on the downtown square. The marathon winds through the city’s trail system, key parks and past Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
There were 1,015 people registered as of noon Friday. That number is up more than 300 people from this time last year, said Lee Farmer, recreation program supervisor. Farmer said he expected to see the number increase to more than 1,400 by today since Friday was the last day to register for $50.
The price will be $60 for those who register between today and April 3. Registration on April 4 is $75.
The festival was a solo event its first couple of years, but the Parks and Recreation Department created a running series around it to encourage people to continue to run throughout the year, Wright said. The series includes seven races that range in distance from two miles to the half marathon.
“The big picture goal here is to keep people healthy,” he said.
The series runs from May to April and kicks off with the two-mile Glow Run beginning at Memorial Park, said Layne Moore, recreation specialist in charge of the race series. It continues with 5K races in September, October and December and then a 4K/8K in February and a 5K/10K in March.
The races in February and March are great opportunities for those training for the half marathon, Moore said.
“Hopefully their confidence has grown throughout the year so they can feel like they can attempt the half marathon,” she said.
For more information, visit www.bentonvillear.com/parks_main.html.