Two miles for your schools

Published 5:49 pm Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Energize yourself and your family with a quick jaunt this weekend while helping your local schools.

The Back 2 School 2-Mile Family Fun Run/Walk sprints or strolls — depending on your style — back to Sequim for the third time this Saturday morning, with fun obstacles and awards for all ages.

Event coordinator Stu Marcy said race organizers have pushed up the start time to 9 a.m. to accommodate more participants as they start their Saturdays.

“It is a fun way to kick off the new school year,” Marcy said. “It gets kids and families thinking about healthy, fun activities.”

Last year’s event saw about 100 participants, Marcy said, and they hope for as many as 150 with the new start time. A lot of the race promotion is by word-of-mouth and through

fliers, announcements in school newsletters, teachers sharing the news and through sports programs, he said.

This year, volunteers with Sequim Education Foundation added different prizes and new obstacles like a hot lava pit balance beam, while bringing back mainstays like Homework Hill, where racers climb a pile of hay bales.

All contestants get the chance to go through the inflatable Sequim Wolf and try all the obstacles from the limbo to commando crawl. Marcy said runners are encouraged to do the loop more than once if they can complete it again and again in under an hour.

Participants can go around obstacles if they feel they need to, Marcy said.

While many participants choose to run the course, walking is welcome, too, particularly for families with younger children.

Registration is available at the event or at the Sequim School District Office.

All proceeds benefit grants for teachers to be innovative in their classrooms, including new technology such as cameras and welders.

For more information, call 582-3264.