I’m typically cynical about Mother’s Day (I’m talking to you, Hallmark and FTD), but this year there’s a local Mother’s Day event that even I can get behind.
The inaugural Ramble Run on Saturday, May 7, offers a chance for healthy mom and kid togetherness through 5K and 12K runs. The event also benefits the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, which empowers and supports women and girls in our community. The only thing that could make this event better is chocolate.
So if you’re a runner (or a fast walker) and you want to get out and do something healthy the day before Mother’s Day, this run is a good bet. It starts and ends at Biltmore Park Town Square and winds through The Ramble community,
Sponsor Asheville Track Club has created a special mother and child team registration category for the race. In addition to having their individual times scored, teams will have times combined to determine the fastest mother and child in each race. As of April 9, there were 50 mom and child teams signed up, including seven teams for the 12K.
Even if you aren’t a mom, you can run, of course. And since everyone has a mom, all runners can honor or remember theirs, if they wish, by wearing a special race bib on which they can write mom’s name. That’s kind of cute and sweet.
You can register online for the race at www.ramblerun.com. The cost through April 30 is $30 for the 5K and $35 for the 12K; thereafter, an additional fee of $5 applies.
If your kids aren’t quite ready to run, there will be child care for ages 5 to 12 for free from 7:15 to 10:15 a.m. on race day (provided by the Reuter YMCA and Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry.
And so you know a bit about who benefits from this run: the Women’s Fund is an endowment that makes high-impact grants to nonprofits working for WNC women and girls. These grants help women find safety from domestic violence, increase their economic security and give them opportunities to become healthier. Since January 2005, the fund has granted more than a $1.2 million to organizations like the Blue Ridge Literacy Council, MANNA FoodBank, Pisgah Legal Services, Children First, REACH of Macon County, Transylvania Christian Ministries, Western North Carolinians for Criminal Justice and many more.
This seems to me like an entirely appropriate way to celebrate moms. If you want to learn more about the The Women’s Fund, visit http://www.cfwnc.org.
Finally, if you’re not feeling in shape for a 5K, but you’d like to be, the Asheville Track Club is offering a Fit Families program starting May 14. They also often a Beginning Runners Program, and kids can get fit while parents start running. The programs take place at Carrier Park. For more info, visit http://www.ashevilletrackclub.org/programs.
So let’s celebrate this year’s Mother’s Day by getting fit with our kids and helping other women and girls in our community.
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