For The Ironton Tribune

The 45th annual Kiwanis Run By The River is this Saturday.

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of East Greenup County, the 5K and 10K road races will start at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Russell Fire Station and end in front of the Russell Senior Citizens Center.

This is the first time since 2019 the club has been able to put on a live in-person race due to restrictions imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“It is good to be back,” said Race Director Tim Gearhart. “We’ve missed the contact we’ve enjoyed with our runners over the last 44 years.”

The races feature both 5K and 10K competitions and is one of only a few races that recognize both younger and older runners with medals in age appropriate categories.

The top two finishers in both the 5K and 10K, mens and womens categories, will receive trophies, then runners in age categories starting with 9 and under, then in 5 year groups from 10 to 14 to 80 and over will earn medals.

The run also features a walking category in either the 5K or 10K events. Walkers will receive a finishers medal and their time.

All runners will receive a soft t-shirt by mail approximately 10 days after the race.

On Saturday, registration tables will open at 7 a.m. Runners can still preregister for $30 at:

https://register.chronotrack.com/r/67439 or at tristateracer.com.

The cost on race day is $35.

Proceeds from the race go toward Kiwanis youth projects, including scholarships for Key Club students at Russell and Raceland-Worthington high schools, Thanksgiving baskets for 50 families, Shop with a Cop and the Greenup Library summer reading program.