Photography courtesy of GO! St. Louis
It’s time to get out the sneakers and hit the streets during the GO! St. Louis Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend. Races for all ages and fitness abilities will take place Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday’s events kick off in Forest Park at 8 a.m., as thousands of runners gather for a 5k around the eastern half of the park, circling the Jewel Box, The Muny, and Central Field.
At 9:30 a.m., approximately 6,000 students from more than 200 elementary schools will wrap up the GO! St. Louis Read, Right & Run Marathon as they complete the last leg of a 26.2-mile journey: 26 books, 26 good deeds, and 26 miles of running. (The first 25 miles were completed once a week at their schools' tracks.) The finish line and snazzy medals await them this weekend.
GO! St. Louis will also accept entries for its children’s fun runs right up through Saturday morning. Register online at gostlouis.org. The fun runs start with a Diaper Dash for crawlers under age 2, then a 50-yard dash for ages 2 to 4, a 100-yard dash for ages 5 to 6, and a half-mile run for ages 7 to 10. Participates receive an event t-shirt and finisher’s medal to celebrate their achievements.
Families with older children can also sign up for the Mississippi 7k run/walk on Sunday morning. The new event allows anyone to experience the thrill of a marathon—without all those miles. The 7k starts a the same time and place as the big marathon and follows the same course, from Market Street to the Eads Bridge, then back over the Martin Luther King Bridge. Participants will finish at Laclede’s Landing for a post-race breakfast, while the long-distance runners work their way back to Forest Park and end near City Musuem 26.2 miles later. Participants must be at least 10 years old to run or walk in the Mississippi 7k and be able to keep a 14:52 mile pace. Strollers and pets are not allowed. Be sure to register before Sunday.
Participants can pick up packets—including a race bib and T-shirt—at Chaifetz Arena, which will hosts the free Health & Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday.
