Lace up your running shoes and get set to run or walk around historic Lake DeFuniak
Lace up your running shoes and get set to run or walk around historic Lake DeFuniak during the Loop the Lake 5K Run/Walk and 1 mile Fun Run on Sept. 10 from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. The event, which is a fundraiser for the 2011 American Heart Association Heart Walk, will be scored by Little Red Hand Production Race Management and Timing.
This year marks the fifth year of the race. More than 300 runners and walkers participate in Loop the Lake each year and help raise more than $8,000 for the American Heart Association.
Information about the run, as well as the race course and registration form can be found at www.chelco.com. Click on the link at the bottom of the page. Early registration costs $20 and ends Sept. 3. Registration from Sept. 4 until 7 a.m. on race day will be $25. The fun run for kids 10 and under costs $10. In addition, a group discount is available.
The race begins at 8 a.m. at the Amphitheater on Circle Drive in DeFuniak Springs and ends near the Amphitheater. Trophies will be awarded in the following categories: Runners – overall male/female, Top Master male/female, Grand Master male/female, top in each age group male/female. Wheelchairs, overall winner. Walkers – overall male/female, top male/female in each age group.
The 1 mile Kids’ Fun Run begins at approximately 8:30 a.m. Trophies will be awarded to the overall 1st boy and girl and top boy and girl in each age category.
In addition, there will be T-shirts, door prizes, refreshments and music.
The race’s title sponsors are CHELCO and CHELCO Services Inc. (CSI). Other major sponsors to date include WZEP 1460 AM Radio, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Touchstone Energy, Merrifield & Pilcher Realty, Florida Transformer, Chautauqua Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, Osmose, Panhandle Alarm, Alan Paul Construction, Tri-State Utility Products Inc., GRESCO Utility Supply and Regional Utilities.
The race was started not only as a fundraiser but to raise awareness of heart disease and to get people started on the road to good health through exercise. All proceeds from the race benefit the American Heart Association. The Heart Association’s Heart Walk will be Sept. 24 at the Northwest Florida State College campus in Niceville.
For more information about Loop the Lake and sponsorship opportunities, contact Betty Sims at 892-5069, ext. 126, or bsims@chelco.com or Kathy Morrow, 892-5069, ext. 125, or kmorrow@chelco.com. You may also find information at www.chelco.com.
CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative) is a Touchstone Energy member-owned electric utility with headquarters in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. The cooperative serves the wholesale power needs of approximately 46,000 homes and residences in Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties. CHELCO is committed to the communities it serves and strives to improve the quality of life for its members, employees and residents in the local communities.