Registration Opens for 4th Annual Run/Walk for Animals in Need

If you’ve got a pair of sneakers and a soft spot in your heart for companion animals, then the organizers of a fourth annual 5K run/walk around Marblehead Neck on Saturday, Nov. 7 say they have just the thing for you. The event is the Goodness Gracious Run for Rescue, which benefits local animal shelters and rescue organizations – including Marblehead’s own animal shelter – and registration is now open online at www.Run4Rescue.org.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting this event. Last year we had 16,439 reasons to celebrate and we’re pumped to do it again,” said Goodness Gracious CEO and Pack Leader Amy Renz-Havens.

Last year some 300 walkers and runners – many with their dogs – gathered under sunny skies at beautiful Chandler Hovey park and raised $16,439 for an amazing group of New England animal charities, Renz-Havens explained.

This year’s event will be back at Chandler Hovey Park (Marblehead lighthouse) and organizers promise goodie bags and T-shirts to the first 300 registrants. Walkers and runners are encouraged to register online ahead of time to have a chance of getting the free perks. Registration is also open at the Nov. 7 event beginning at 10:30 AM.

Goodies, gear and exercise -- with or without your dog -- aren’t the only reasons to partake, according to organizers. There will be awards for the fastest finishers and cutest canine costumes, edible medals for the first 300 people and pooches to cross the finish line, prizes, music and more.

The real prize, according to Renz-Havens, is how it makes your heart feel. All net proceeds will benefit non-profit, all-volunteer animal charities. Many of the charities involved in the Run for Rescue have saved thousands of animals from high-kill shelters or severe neglect and abuse, and have placed them into loving adoptive local homes, she noted.

The Run for Rescue 5K will start at noon on Saturday, Nov. 7 from Chandler Hovey Park in Marblehead. Registration is $35 per person, and if you want to walk or run with Fido his entry is free. To find out more about the Run for Rescue 5K, to register online or to donate to any or all of the participating charities, visit at www.Run4Rescue.org.