Written by Kaya Williams
Photos by Timothy Santa Rosa
Sponsored Post – Race 178
There will be sweat. There will be stretching. There will be smiles. And if there’s one sure way to work up an appetite, it just might be participation in the Reno Running Festival, Sept. 7 – 8.
The all-ages, family-friendly festival is open to all — no experience required. The weekend kicks off with the second annual Reno Mile, with seven timed, age-group heats for any participant interested in clocking the out-and-back route through Downtown Reno. Two elite heats will follow for seriously speedy runners.
But participants need not have their eyes on setting records to enjoy the race. The pressure of the ticking clock is off with the untimed Fun Mile or pup-friendly Dog Mile heats. For one price — $10 for youths and $15 for adults until rates increase on August 1 — participants can join in on up to three heats.
“Everybody can run a mile,” says Eric Lerude, president of Race 178, which organizes the Reno Running Festival. “It’s really a distance that anyone can take on, whether they take it on competitively, recreationally, or just walking it.”
The post-mile festivities include refreshments, vendors, and music at the finish-line party, where participants can refuel with the standard post-race grab-and-go bites from Sprouts Farmers Market. Those in need of an extra boost can re-caffeinate with coffee from Bibo Coffee Co. and enjoy breakfast burritos from Sonic Drive-In.
Legs still itching to go the distance? Sunday’s 51st annual Journal Jog offers runners, walkers, and stroller-pushers the opportunity to cruise more than eight kilometers (just shy of five miles) through Old Southwest Reno, beginning and finishing in Idlewild Park.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female runners, but there are other ways to score extra bragging rights at Sunday’s festivities. A costume contest results in prizes for individual runners as well as caterpillar teams (groups of four or more attached runners); those who participate in both the Reno Mile and the Journal Jog earn the Reno Running Fest Double Dare Medal.
Registration fees for the Journal Jog — $15 for youths and $30 for adults until midnight on July 31 — include post-run refreshments and music at the finish-line party. In addition to fare from Bibo Coffee Co., Sprouts Farmers Market. and Sonic Drive-In, Journal Joggers will each receive a complimentary post-race beer.
Participants in either race also are welcome to partake in the time-honored tradition of pre- and post-race carb-loading with a Saturday evening spaghetti supper at Tamarack Junction in South Reno. There will be no additional fee for the meal, but advance registration is required on the Race178 website and space is limited.
Lerude says the Journal Jog is a “rite of passage” for many in the generations of runners who return to the event year after year. But these races aren’t exclusively for seasoned racers, either.
“We’re always looking to draw in new participants who aren’t the regular runners,” Lerude says.
And there’s an additional perk to the Reno Running Festival for epicurious participants: “Working out allows you to indulge in all the good food and drinks Reno has to offer!” he says, adding, “I know many runners and walkers and fitness enthusiasts who also are foodies. They go hand-in-hand.”
Registration fees for the Reno Running Festival increase starting August 1! Don’t miss out! For details, visit Race178.com.
