Get Ready To Run For A Good Cause!

SPARTA, NJ — Main Street Events is thrilled to manage the 18th Annual USATF-sanctioned Grand Prix Event, Rev It Up 5K/10K Festival & Fitness Expo! The event will take place Saturday, April 23, starting at 9:30 a.m. The event will benefit the Sparta P.A.L., and will be held in the new Sparta P.A.L. Building.

This year’s event promises to be exciting! A brand new drone will grace the skies at the start and finish lines, providing free pictures for all who finish the event. In addition, there will be a family fun fitness expo, music on the course, free food, a pre-race pasta dinner and packet pick up, stocked goodie bag for registered participants, a free t-shirt, and the ability to follow your friends with the free RaceJoy app.

The Sparta P.A.L. was started in the 1960s by Fred Geffken, a former Sparta police chief. The mission was to provide an opportunity for police offices and Sparta youth to interact positively, collaborating in athletics and fun! Today, the Sparta P.A.L. is led by the current Chief of Police, Ernest Reigstad, and provides programs for boys’ and girls’ basketball, volleyball, fencing, and many other activities. In addition, the organization partners with the Sparta Police Department to sponsor the Sparta Police Youth Division, approximately 150 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th graders who participate in community service projects, anti-drug programs, and anti-violence programs in Sparta Township.

The Festival & Fitness Expo is sure to be great! The events start at the main entrance, and run through the Sparta H.S. grounds to the scenic residential Ratcliff Rd loop and back. The Rev It Up Run sponsor will provide a motivational kick at their auto care center at the turn-a-round with some half way refreshments. The 10K will continue up West Mountain Rd and back to the Ratcliff loop, and then back to the P.A.L. area. Participants and spectators can enjoy incredible freebies including massage, food from Bagel Station and Villa Capri II, hydration stations product sampling, a bounce house, kiddie Merry Go Round, door prizes, big giveaways, and more! Over thirty vendors will be in attendance, including experts in fitness, Zumba warm-ups, nutrition, family recreation, and much more! Over 120 custom medals and watches will be awarded, divided by age group. The top three male and female runners have a chance to win special awards! The grand prize winner will receive a propane grill, courtesy of Eastern Propane.

Community sponsors make this event possible! A big thank-you goes out to: Sparta Stop and Shop, Thorlabs, Crossfit Sparta, Eastern Propane, Lakeland Bank, Rev It Up Auto of Sparta, Alpine Roof, First Hope Bank, Zoom Ziplines, Modell’s Sporting Goods, 102.3 WSUS, 103.7 WNNJ, MAX 106.3, Accomplitech IT Services, Culligan Water Conditioning, Massage Envy, Highland State Bank, Villa Capri II, iHeart Media, and Cailey Jewelers.

Feed your appetite before the race with the Pasta Party & Packet Pickup event, sponsored by Villa Capri II. On Friday, April 22, the event will run from 5-8 p.m.

The Rev It Up Run will start at 9:30 a.m., and will be held at Sparta P.A.L. Building at 38 Station Rd., in Sparta. Free shuttle service for participants and spectators is available on race day from 8 a.m. until noon at Station Park or Kids Castle Park, courtesy of Sussexpress Shuttle on race day from 8:00 a.m. through noon. For more information, or to sign up, visit http://www.mainstreetevents.org/.