Posted on: July 3, 2017

Race to get your registration in for this year’s 2K for Kids Fun Run by July 21, the registration deadline.

Kids ages 4 to 10 love this athletic event, which challenges them to go the distance. Two kilometers equals about 1.25 miles, so kids should be ready for a little endurance test. And they should be ready for some unconventional fun along the way.

The 2K for Kids Fun Run is not just any foot race.

Every quarter-mile, participants will take a little detour and time off from the race to tackle an extra competitive activity.

Race organizers are tight-lipped about what those challenges will be in 2017. But a look at what competitors in past races have encountered should yield some clues.

First, in past races, there was the balloon pop. Each participant had to find a way to pop a balloon before they could go on, said Jeannie Robinson, assistant superintendent of recreation services.

Another challenge involved pushing a cotton ball across a table — using just the participant’s nose.

Then there was the event where participants were required to balance a ping pong ball on a spoon while holding the spoon in their mouths. And then they were asked to move in a zig-zag pattern through a series of traffic cones.

Another contest involved using a squirt gun to knock down a stack of drinking cups. Kids also used horse-shaped “hippity-hops,” which are inflatable heavy-duty bouncing balls that kids sit on and bounce on, to race around cones.

“Last year we did a ring toss kind of thing with pool noodles,” Robinson said.

There also were hurdles to jump over and slide under. Robinson hinted that challenge may be back this year.

She said participants are divided into several age groups, so children are competing against other children at or near the same level of development.

The whole thing happens at Newton Park, 707 Fairview Ave., Glen Ellyn, on Saturday, August 5. The race begins at 9 a.m. and finishes up by about 10:30 a.m.

Robinson said the event is in its third year and drew about 120 racers in each of the first two years.

The registration fee is $17 for Glen Ellyn Park District residents and $25 for nonresidents.

Entry fees include a timing bib, t-shirt and post-race snacks. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third-place finishers in each age group.

Register now; the race fills up quickly and there are a limited number of available spots.

Thank you to our sponsors!

POSTED: JULY 5, 2017