Courtesy of Metropolitan St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee
5 Winter/Spring St. Louis Runs to Get You Going in 2014
If exercising more is one of your New Year’s resolutions, start the year off right with these five local runs in the first three months of 2014. From chocolate to the Stan Span, each of these races adds a little something extra to the race route.
January 25: Chiro-Med Winter Luau 5K & Main Street Mile
Take a break from the winter blahs and get in the aloha spirit with this luau-themed race in downtown Belleville, Ill. There is a $100 male and female first-place prize, flat-screen TV attendance prize, a medal for all participants age 9 and younger, post-race event in a nearby gym, YMCA rock climbing wall, and more. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics and Get Up & Go. $30 for registration with a hoodie and mug, or $20 for registration with a T-shirt and mug before January 13. Prices go up to $35 or $25 from January 13 through 23. Time: 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. Lindenwood University Belleville, 2600 W. Main Sreet, Belleville, Ill., 618-235-3200, getmeregistered.com.
February 8: Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Run
Be one of the first to traverse the new “Stan Span” before it opens to traffic on February 9. Technically a 6K, this run put on by Big River Running Company, Big River Race Management and the St. Louis Sports Commission in coordination with the City of St. Louis, MoDOT and IDOT includes awards for 13 age groups, a commemorative medallion for the first 1,500 registrants, a post-race celebration with complimentary snacks and drinks, a T-shirt, on-course hydration station, and more. $30 early registration through January 31, $35 registration from February 1–7, and $40 race-day registration. Time: 8 a.m. Race starts at Tucker and Washington, bigriverrunning.com.
February 15: Run for the Chocolate
What better motivation to run 4 miles than copious amounts of chocolate? All finishers receive a chocolate goody bag, Bissingers Chocolatier customized chocolate medals, gender-specific and relationship-specific T-shirt with race logo, post-race Bissingers hot chocolate and a chocolate fondue fountain, raffle prizes, and a free bottle of wine for all finishers age 21 and older who finish ahead of Cupid in the Cupid challenge. In honor of Valentine’s Day, participants can register as On the Market, Off the Market, Happy Couples (two-person team), or It’s Complicated (three-person team) and will be given T-shirts based on those categories. $35 per person before the race, $40 per person on race day. Time: Packet pickup from 7 to 8:30 a.m., race start at 9 a.m. Race begins at Lumière Place Casino, 999 N. 2nd, runforthechocolate.com.
March 8: Celebrate Fitness 2014
As part of Celebrate Fitness, a 90-minute fitness workshop at the Washington University Athletic Campus, compete in a 5K run, managed by Missouri Running Company, to benefit the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, The Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program at Siteman, and the Siteman Director’s Discovery Fund. The run takes you from Washington University into Forest Park and back. $30 for adults, $20 for ages 13–8 through March 6. Price goes up $5 for day-of registration. Time: 7–8 a.m. registration, opening ceremony at 8 a.m., run begins at 8:30 a.m. Washington University Athletic Complex: Field House, 330 N Big Bend, 314-935-5511, celebrate-events.org.
March 15: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run
Join more than 13,000 participants for one of the year’s largest downtown runs. After finishing the race on Broadway near Chestnut, runner’s can enjoy the Michelob ULTRA Runner’s Village, part of the 2014 Irish Village at Kiener Plaza, with water, drink samples, live music, and running-related exhibitors. New this year, for an extra $5, runners can check their bags and change clothes in rooms at the Ballpark Hilton to enjoy the St. Patrick’s festivities for rest of the day, including the parade, which begins at noon. $28 through February 28, $32 March 1–9, $35 March 10–14. Time: 9 a.m. Race begins at Broadway and Walnut, stpatsrun.com.
