Urban Wildland Races Benefit Richfield's Wood Lake Nature Center

My two best friends run marathons. They do it for fun, they do it to stay in shape, and I get the sneaky feeling that not a small part of them does it to feel the smug satisfaction of having done something insane. Good for them I say. They are wonderful women and I’m proud to know them. 

I run marathons in my sleep. I could medal at the Olympics in sleeping. I am a champion sleeper. In an effort, however, to keep up with my aerobic friends, I began running last summer and learned, despite popular opinion, that I can run more than three blocks and not wish I was dead. In fact, I ran in three 5K races last year and dubbed 2010 the Year of Possibility. It was awesome. In April of this year I started running again and I’ve kept with it and feel fantastic.  I’m looking forward to participating in the Urban Wildland 5K in August 2011 to benefit and improve my time from last year (which I conveniently forgot). 

The Urban Wildland Half Marathon & 5K is Minnesota’s only green race which means you get a lot of bang for your entrance fee bucks: inspiration to get in gear to run the race, satisfaction of knowing you are helping Wood Lake continue to be a fixture in the Richfield community for great outdoor programming, and the bliss of knowing you aren’t contributing to the deterioration of our community’s ecology through the waste and emissions that typically accompany races. 

The races are on Aug. 6 at (behind the ). The half marathon starts at 7 a.m. and the 5K starts at 7:15 a.m., plenty of time to get the race finished before the heat of the day! You can register here.  Runners get a t-shirt, which is fantastic, and a great sense of community pride. 

Come join the fun to support Wood Lake and be part of the festivities!