Spa Running Festival set for Saturday

Saturday's annual Spa Running Festival has drawn participants from across the United States, including Alaska, the race director said this week.

Formerly called the Spa 10K/5K, the event now includes a 5K, 10K, half marathon and 1K race for children. This is the second year for the Summit2 Challenge half marathon, which will summit West Mountain twice.

The rebranded Spa Running Festival bills itself as having something for everyone -- "kids, walkers, beginners to elite runners and those that like a challenge," according to its website.

Starting at 7 a.m. Saturday on Convention Boulevard in front of Embassy Suites Hot Springs -- Hotel & Spa, the challenging Half Marathon-Summit 2 Challenge will feature a run to West Mountain and two trips to the summit. The race is limited to 300 participants ages 13 and older who can maintain a 16-minute pace per mile.

The 35th Spa 10K, part of the Road Runners Club of America's Arkansas Grand Prix series, remains the featured race. The 6.2-mile event starts at 8 a.m. Saturday in conjunction with a run and walk of 3.1 miles each. The popular Spa Squirt race, for ages 2-10, follows at 9:30 a.m.

Runners from all the over the United States have already registered for the races, Cindy Baswell, race director, said Wednesday. "We're touching 28 states that are coming to this race, plus all over Arkansas."

A little more than 1,200 have preregistered, she said, adding that with on-site registration the target is 1,300. Baswell said she expects to meet that goal, noting the Summit2 Challenge is already sold out, with 335 registered runners.

On-site registration and packet pick up will be from 3-7 p.m. Friday at The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa, and from 6-7:45 a.m. Saturday inside the lobby of Bank of the Ozarks Arena, she said.

One difference this year will be the post-race finishing area, she said.

"You want to make it a good experience for the runners," she said, since many runners like to hang around after the race. Race results will be posted in the post-race finishing area, a finish line truss has been added and the start and finish lines will be combined.

Participants are asked to bring nonperishable food items on race day to be collected outside the arena lobby by Project Hope Food Bank, she said.

"Our benefactors are Friends of the Park (to) expand the Hot Springs Greenway Trail, and Teen Challenge of Arkansas," she said. Proceeds will also benefit the Spa Pacers Buzz Wilson Scholarship Program.

The Spa 10K, a 6.2-mile race, is a nationally recognized race and part of the Arkansas RRCA Grand Prix Series. Participants are asked to maintain a 19.21-minute pace per mile to complete the course in two hours. The race starts and ends on Convention Boulevard, winding through downtown Hot Springs and to West Mountain Drive before returning through the Quapaw Historic District.

Challenge contestants take the normal Spa 10K route until the top of West Mountain, turning right at, going up to and coming back down from the summit and West Mountain to Pecan Street, then left on Flint, left on Quapaw, left on Fern, right on Pecan and back up to West Mountain to the top of the summit, going back down the mountain and following the 10K route to the finish line.

The 5K run-and-walk route, also starting and ending on Convention Boulevard, follows Malvern Avenue to Broadway, right on Market Street, right on Quapaw, right on Fern, left on Pecan, left on Quapaw and right on Market, following Broadway back to Malvern Avenue.

The Spa Squirt will be divided into age categories 2-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10, with each age category running a different length, Baswell said.

The Spa Squirt offers awards for age groups 2 and 4 (going two-tenths of a mile), 5 and 6 (three-tenths of a mile), 7 and 8 (four-tenths of a mile) and 9 and 10 (six-tenths of a mile, or 1 kilometer). Each age group starts on Convention Boulevard (across from Embassy Suites in the lane next to the big parking lot) and runs toward East Grand Avenue. Parents are allowed to run or walk with the younger children.

All participants will receive a long-sleeve technical T-shirt and one free ticket to the post race party, which will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Various streets in the downtown area will be closed during the running festival, according to the city:

• Convention Boulevard will be closed from 5:30-11 a.m.

• Half marathon street closings -- begin at 7 a.m., Convention Boulevard at Palm Street; 7-7:15 a.m., Malvern to Spring Street; 7-7:40 a.m., the outside northbound lane of Central Avenue to Whittington Avenue; 7:40-9:45 a.m., one lane of Whittington to Woodfin Street, continue on Whittington to turn back after 0.3 mile, one lane of Whittington to West Mountain Drive to Summit Drive Loop, Summit Drive Loop continue down West Mountain Drive; 8:10-9:45 a.m., West Mountain Drive to Prospect; 8:10-10 a.m., one lane of Prospect at Pecan to Flint Street, then to Quapaw Avenue, and one lane of Quapaw Avenue between Flint Street and Market Street; 8:15-10:15 a.m., one lane of Market Street between Quapaw Avenue and Broadway Street; and 8:15-10:30 a.m., Market Street crossing at Ouachita and Central Avenue, one lane of Broadway between Market and Convention Boulevard, and one lane of Convention Boulevard between Malvern and Palm Street.

• 10K street closings -- beginning at 8 a.m., Convention Boulevard at Palm Street; 8-8:30 a.m., Malvern to Spring Street, the outside northbound lane of Central Avenue from Whittington Avenue will be closed; 8:05-8:30 a.m., one lane of Whittington Loop to West Mountain Drive, one lane of West Mountain Drive to Prospect Avenue; 8:20-9 a.m., one lane of Prospect at Pecan to Flint Street, then to Quapaw Avenue, and one lane of Quapaw Avenue between Flint Street and Market Street; and 8:30-9:30 a.m., one lane of Market Street between Quapaw Avenue and Broadway Street, one lane of Broadway between Market and Convention Boulevard, crossing Malvern Avenue on Broadway Street, and one lane Convention Boulevard between Malvern and Palm Street.

• 5K Street closings -- beginning at 8 a.m., Convention Boulevard at Palm Street; 7:45-8:15 a.m., Malvern to Spring Street; 8-8:15 a.m., Broadway Street to Market Street; 8-8:30 a.m., Market Street between Central Avenue to Quapaw Avenue; 8:05-8:30 a.m., one lane of Quapaw Avenue between Market and Fern Street; 8:15-8:30 a.m., one lane of Fern Street between Quapaw Avenue and Pecan Street, and one lane of Pecan Street between Prospect Avenue and Flint Street; 8:25-9 a.m., one lane of Flint Street between Quapaw Avenue and Pecan Street; and 8:30-9:30 a.m., one lane of Quapaw Avenue Flint and Market Street, crossing Market Street at Ouachita and Central Avenue, one lane of Broadway between Market and Convention Boulevard, crossing Malvern Avenue at Broadway Street, and one lane Convention Blvd between Malvern and Palm Street.

• 1K Kids Fun Run -- beginning at 9:45 a.m., Convention Blvd at Palm Street; and 9:30-10:15 a.m., Palm Street between Convention Blvd and Spring Street.

Local on 11/18/2016

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