Kiwanis Club Fun Run on the beach
For those wishing to shed a few of those extra pounds earned during holiday time, the Fort Myers Beach Kiwanis Club has the perfect outlet for you.
The community group will be hosting its annual 5K Fun Run on Friday, Dec. 27. The race course will be held exclusively on the sand of Fort Myers Beach running from the Chapel Street beach access down to the area of Connecticut Road, said Kiwanis Club secretary Paula McCarthy.
The sign-ups will begin at the Chapel Street beach access at 7 a.m. The race will go off at 8 a.m. The 5K event is open to runners and walkers. There will be many different competition categories and opportunities for participants to earn trophies, McCarthy said.
Runners will be charging down the sand of the beach which will remain open to the public during the race. “Everybody is (going to be) just going along the beach doing what they do in the morning,” McCarthy said.
The entry fee for adults is $10 and $5 for children 16 and under. The fees cover the cost of trophies as well as T-shirts which will be handed out to all those who enter the race. Bananas and oranges will also be given out following the 5K.
The race averages more than 50 entrants each year, and includes a lot of families from youngsters to grandparents. “It’s nice to see families doing things together,” McCarthy said. “There are some real competitive people and some more just for fun.”
McCarthy said the race, which has been held for more than 30 years, typically attracts many tourists and many families that are down here on vacation. “There are families that actually plan their vacation around us,” she said. The race used to be held on Saturdays but that many of those who wanted to participate couldn’t so because that is a checkout day for many visitors.
The idea for the event originated with the late Ferdinand Hauser, who was a member of the Kiwanis Club. “He liked to run on the beach and thought it would be a good idea to have a run on the beach around Christmas time,” McCarthy said.
“What I would really like to see is more local people.”