It’s almost time again for the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, and as it has for 19 years, the Fiddler 5K and One-Mile Fun Run will be held on Saturday, July 1, before the hoedown begins.
Event organizers say the race is open to everyone, and is held each year for a very worthy cause. All proceeds from the event will be used in building a new Habitat for Humanity home in DeKalb County. Money raised from the race will go toward building materials for the project.
The race will start at 7 a.m. on July 1, rain or shine, and the 3.1-mile course will begin and end on Church Street in Downtown Smithville. The start line will be in front of the First Baptist Life Enrichment Center on Church Street. The finish line will be in front of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home.
Race Director Tecia Puckett Pryor encourages everyone to preregister. There is a link to online registration at www.fiddler5k.com. It will take you to itsyourrace.com, where you can register online until midnight on June 28.
Race check-in is on Saturday morning at 6:15, and competitors may walk up and register before the race starts as well. Race-day registration will be at 6 a.m. in the Love-Cantrell Funeral Home parking lot.
Those who pre-register may pick up their packets on June 30 between the hours of 5-7 p.m., or Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. at the starting line. According to Pryor, picking up their packets on Friday can save runners some time, and allow them sleep a little longer on Saturday morning.
The cost of race-day registration is $30 for ages 19-up, and $25 for ages 18 and under. Pre-registration is $25 for adults age 19-up, and $20 for 18 and under.
The 3.1 mile race course will send runners down Town Hill, by the golf course, up Riley Avenue by DeKalb Community Hospital, and back up Main Street toward downtown.
The race is expected to draw 300-400 runners from all over the country.
As in past years, the race is monitored electronically, so runners will be able to see their times as soon as they finish. Runners will have a chip on their bib, and when they cross the finish line it will instantly tell them how fast they ran the race. There will be a gun start, meaning that the start is not chip timed. All the runners will start at the same time, but the finish is chip timed.
An overall male award and a female award will be given for the fastest runners. A Masters Award will be presented to the fastest male and female over age 40. The top three runners in the nine-and-younger category will receive awards, and ribbons will be presented in the same way in five-year increments.
One-Mile Fun Run winners ages twelve and younger will receive awards, with overall awards for male and female and the top three.
Online preregistration is available at http://itsyourrace.com/search.aspx?srchby=searchByEventName&srch=fiddler+5k. For copies of the paper registration forms, visit the offices of the Smithville Review.
