Martin Kiwanis Club sponsored the 5k Road Race and Fun Walk, as part of the 21st Annual Tennessee Soybean Festival, Saturday, Sept. 6.
Starting as early as 7:30 a.m. citizens from all over Weakley County and the surrounding area came out to participate in the event. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded to winners in several different age brackets served as incentives for children and adults alike to put their best foot forward.
However, for most runners the main goal of the race was not to win, but to have fun with other runners in the community.
“In the past we’ve been over in the Martin sports complex, and runners would race around there. This is the first year we’ve had this out here at Westview, behind the school. We plan to do this from now on because it’s a little more convenient, and there’s better parking. We’ve had a great turn out. I’d say we’ve had close to two hundred runners this year,” said Courtney Dozier, Martin Kiwanis Club member and event organizer .
Since this race has been a part of the Soybean Festival for 21 years, getting word out to the locals does not pose much of a problem for the organizers of the event. Kiwanis Club members focus primarily on ordering t-shirts, awarding medals and advertising this event to people outside Martin who otherwise might not hear about the race.
“This event has been pretty well organized for 20 years, but this year the guy who’s been in charge decided he wanted to pass it on. We had to do things like make sure the runners got their t-shirts and their medals. Advertising has been important as well,” said Laura Fieser, another integral planner of the race.
The 5k racers may have finished the race with sore feet and heavy breathing, but there were still smiles shining all around. The Kiwanis Club’s Fun Run promoted running, healthy lifestyles and a happy community all at once.
