The Wildest Run of the Year Takes Off September 20 at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Run Wild features 5 and 8k runs and a 5k walk – plus admission to Northwest Trek
EATONVILLE, Wash. - Run Wild race day is fast approaching, and there’s still time to register for a refreshing fun run or walk along the woodsy trails and paths of Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
The 5k and 8k run and 5k walk event is set for Sept. 20. Registration is open now. It includes the chip-timed race, a shirt as long as supplies last and admission to Northwest Trek for the day.
The popular races are open to 10 and up and draw runners and walkers of nearly all ages. To date, the oldest runner registered is 85, and nine people registered in the 8k are in the 70s and 80s. Several out-of-state runners also are registered.
Registration is $40 through Sept. 17. Day-of-race registration is $45.
The day begins with registration open at 7 a.m. The park’s gates close at 7:50 a.m. to accommodate the races, which begin at 8:30.
Runners and walkers are urged to arrive early. They get Northwest Trek’s trails to themselves for some out-in-nature exercise in a glorious woodsy setting.
And they do environmental good while they’re at it. Entry fees help support programming and conservation efforts at Northwest Trek.
Chip timing is provided for runners, and the 5k course is certified by USA Track & Field.
And if all that’s not enough excitement, there’s an after-race raffle for a variety of fabulous prizes. All participants are eligible to win.
Prizes include:
- Disney Park Hopper passes for four.
- A painting done by a Northwest Trek animal.
- Ride the Ducks (two tickets)
- Tillicum Village (two tickets)
- Future of Flight (two tickets)
- Staycation packages good for overnight stays in area hotels and tickets to a number of area attractions. One package includes a night at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown Tacoma with tickets to Tacoma-area fun spots. A second package is at the Inn at Gig Harbor with tickets to attractions on the Gig Harbor and Olympic Peninsulas.
Additional raffle prizes will be added before race day.
And, of course, a trip to Northwest Trek is like a little mini-vacation all by itself. The wildlife park is located near Eatonville, just an hour’s drive from Seattle and less than an hour from Tacoma. Yet it feels like a world away. Tall evergreens and lush undergrowth provide a soothing setting to help melt stress away.
A visit includes a narrated 50-minute tram tour through the Free-Roaming area, where visitors can see bison, Roosevelt elk, bighorn sheep, moose, deer and other animals. Walking paths meander past natural exhibits that are home to black bears, grizzly bears, gray wolves, foxes, a cougar, dozens of wetlands animals like beavers and otters and more.
Trailside Encounters allow visitors an up-close view of small animals like a beaver, skunk or owl as keepers give talks about them and answer questions.
Run Wild is presented by Fleet Feet Sports.
To register for Run Wild and get full event details, go to http://www.nwtrek.org/calendar/index.php?cid=861