As executive director of the Park City Education Foundation, Abby McNulty was looking for a way to help raise education awareness and promote community activity.
She found it in the Running with Ed (education) relay race, in its second year, a 41-mile race run by teams of five with 10 race legs. The legs vary from one to nine miles.
“I think we’ll have more participants this year, to be honest,” McNulty said. “We had such great feedback last year. Everybody loved the race and it was really well organized. We’d like to continue with that and not make many changes.”
The registration deadline for the race is Sunday, April 24, and those who wish to register can do so on www.runningfored.com . The race is scheduled for Saturday, May 21.
Proceeds from the race will go toward supporting teacher grant programs for public schools in Park City. Following last year’s inaugural race, McNulty said teacher grants nearly tripled.
“It’s about raising money and it’s about bringing the community together and having a good time and supporting education,” she said.
Each public school in Park City will be an exchange location for team members, with each school responsible for having its own unique theme to support racers.
The race will be run on the same course as last year with Park City trails and Basin Recreation trails highlighted; most trails are paved, McNulty said.
The start and finish line will be at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse, with the finale party held inside the Fieldhouse. Last year, race organizers tried holding it outdoors, but were dumped on with snow.
McNulty said there will be booths, drawings, a barbecue and live music inside the Fieldhouse.
She said more teams from the Wasatch Front are joining this year, with several from the Salt Lake City area already registered. McNulty said that they’d like to see growth every year.
Prior to last year’s race, McNulty and race organizers consulted the Ragnar Relay Series organization asking for tips and insight on running a successful relay race. She said it worked out perfectly.
“It’s a really fun event and it’s a great team-building event,” she said. “You’re with your runners all day, and last year we said it was like mini Ragnar, and it is still. But I think it has its own identity now. We’re excited for people to participate and enjoy it.”
McNulty said she knew a race like this could flourish due to Park City’s avid outdoor community and the general public’s interest in furthering education.
“We wanted to host an event that we thought was going to be really welcomed by the Park City community and highlight and celebrate public schools. We know this community is extremely active,” she said.