The 43rd Annual Health Focus of Southwest Virginia Salem Distance Run is Saturday, August 12.
The 5K and 10K events will once again start on Main Street in Downtown Salem and end at Longwood Park. The races begin at 8 a.m. and the entry fee is $30 for the 10K race and $25 for the 5K run/walk. Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each division of each race. Participants also will receive a commemorative t-shirt.
The weekend gets started on Friday, August 11, with packet pick-up and registration at Longwood Park from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, runners can arrive as early as 6:30 a.m. to register, visit the vendors, enjoy music and meet the event’s celebrity runner, Michael Wardian, an ultra-marathon runner from Arlington, who returns as our special guest again this year.
Wardian was the USA Track & Field runner of the year in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 and he was named athlete of the year in 2011 by the International Association Ultra-Runner. He is a three-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier who holds a silver medal in the World 100k Championships. This year he has taken two firsts and a second in The North Face Endurance Challenges 50-Miler races in Washington, D.C., Costa Rica and Ecuador.
This year’s event is presented by the Salem Parks and Recreation Department, Health Focus of Southwest Virginia and WSLS 10. Please note that an additional $5 charge is applicable for entries received after August 5. To secure an application, register or obtain additional information please contact Kathy Murphy, Salem Parks and Recreation Program Manager. She can be reached at kmurphy@salemva.gov and 540-375-3057.
-Submitted by Mike Stevens
