A beloved event for runners is celebrating a milestone this upcoming weekend on Jacksonville’s west side.
The Jacksonville Memorial Hospital annual 5K/10K will run for the 30th time this Saturday. Race organizer Kevin Eckhoff says the race started in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of what was then Passavant Area Hospital and has continued to grow each year.
Eckhoff says participants come from far and wide to support the event, and the course is great for both experienced runners or beginners, as well as for the growing number of walkers who participate each year.
“It’s what we call a flat and fast course. There is only one hill there under the viaduct on Westgate and once you pass that it’s pretty straight so it’s a very easy course for both runners and walkers.”
Eckhoff says just as the race has grown over the years, so has the technology as a St. Louis based company brings a high tech way to handle the race scoring each year. “Fleet Feet Sports, and they do a great job. The very first years of the race I handled that part myself and it got to be more and more of a hassle so we now have those guys take care of it. It’s a professional organization and they do a great job of timing the race.
They use a chip in the bib system with an RFID chip. As soon as you cross the start line it activates your chip and then when you cross the finish line it deactivates your chip and instantaneous sends a text message to your phone with your race time.”
There is still time to register for the run. Online registration is available through this Friday, October 18th. In-person registration and packet pickup will be offered from 5:30 – 7:00 pm Thursday, October 17, at the Springfield Running Center, 2943 W White Oaks Drive, Springfield
Registration is $30.00 now through Friday, and Saturday registration is $35.00. To register online, go to raceroster.com and search JMH.
The 30th annual Jacksonville Memorial Hospital 5K/10K presented by Gatorade will start at 8:00 a.m. this Saturday from Founder’s Lane on the east side of JMH.