The MEMS 5K will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday in Little Rock's Two Rivers Park, 6900 Two Rivers Park Road. There will also be a 1-mile kids run available for ages 9 and under taking place at 9:15 a.m.
Online registration is open until 11:59 p.m. Thursday for $25. The kids run costs $12.50. People who want to donate but not run can sign up as virtual runners for $20. Proceeds benefit the Arkansas Foodbank. (Online registrations add a $2.50 processing fee.)
There are no advance packet pickups. Race-day registration and packet pickup will begin at the starting line at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Race-day registration will end by 7:30 a.m.
Racers will be chip-timed. Awards will be given three deep in the masters (over 40), overall male and overall female categories as well as four deep by age group. Fair warning, there will be a $30 replacement fee for timing chips that aren't returned at the end of the race.
Walkers and strollers are welcome on the course. Organizers ask that those looking for a more leisurely pace line up at the back of the pack at the starting line. There will be an aid station approximately halfway through the course.
Participants can wear costumes, and there will be a costume contest after the race is over.
For registration and more information, visit runsignup.com and search for "MEMS 5K."
Joe and Helen Weber Arky 100
The Arkansas Bicycle Club is hosting its annual group ride beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday. The starting line is at the Sheridan Community Center, 1511 S. Rose St. in Sheridan.
Cyclists can pedal any of four distances: a 25-mile family ride, a 50-mile tour to Prattsville, a 60-mile tour to Poyen and the Arky 100-mile tour. All of the courses cost $30. If you want to join the Arkansas Bicycle Club, you can add an extra $15 to your registration. The annual membership fee is not necessary to ride.
Registration includes an event T-shirt, but supplies might run out. The website updates in real time and will not allow a registrant to select a T-shirt once they have all been spoken for.
Online registration is available until 8 p.m. Wednesday. Packet pickup is available at the starting line beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Registration includes a bib number and access to ride amenities including SAG (support and gear) vehicles, stocked rest stops and post-ride refreshments back at the Sheridan Community Center.
These are not closed courses; there will be Sunday traffic. Helmets are required and all riders are expected to follow all traffic laws. Support for riders will end at 3 p.m.
Course maps and registration are at arkansasbicycleclub.org.
Race 13.1 Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
This traveling race company will revisit Little Rock on Sunday for the second time. The half-marathon will begin at 7 a.m., and the two shorter races will begin just after at 7:15.
All three will start and finish at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave.
The deadline for a guaranteed event T-shirt and last price increase is midnight tonight. The half-marathon costs $79; the 10K is $39; and the 5K is $29. After midnight the half-marathon will cost an extra $10, and each of the shorter races will cost an extra $6. Online registration will continue until race day.
Packet pickup will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Academy Sports, 11400 W. Markham St. in Little Rock. A photo ID is required for packet pickup.
Registration and race-day packet pickup will be from 5:15 to 6:15 a.m. Sunday at the starting line.
Registration includes a race T-shirt (while supplies last for registrants after today); a virtual swag bag that includes discounts at local restaurants and retail stores; and everyone who completes the half-marathon will receive a finisher's medal.
This writer ran Race 13.1 last year, and will run it again this year. I don't like to use words like "exact," but the course is extremely similar to its first incarnation. All three distances will be primarily flat with a couple of small hills. Following an out-and-back style, all three distances will cross over the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge before heading up the Arkansas River Trail on the North Little Rock side to Burns Park.
Each of the three distances will be color-coded with signs indicating the appropriate turnaround spot for the return trip to the Clinton Presidential Center.
Runners will be chip-timed. Awards will be given to the fastest male and female athletes overall and by age group. Awards for the 5K and 10K will be announced at 9 a.m., and half-marathon awards will be presented at 10. The top three overall in the half marathon, and the top runner in both the 5K and 10K will get gift cards.
The charity partner for the Little Rock race is Best Buddies Arkansas, whose mission statement, according to its website, is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
To donate $10 of your registration fee, enter the code BBAR during the registration process. There will also be an optional donation field for participants who would like to donate directly to Best Buddies Arkansas. More information is at bestbuddies.org/arkansas.
Registration is at race131.com.
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ActiveStyle on 10/03/2016