Annual 5K, pool party to benefit Woodstock playground program

The 45th annual Woodstock Challenge Road Run and Pool Party this Sunday will raise money for the city’s playground program.

The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at Woodstock Water Works, located at Emricson Park in Woodstock. Participants can run or walk a 5K or take part in a one-and-a-half mile kid and family fun run afterwards.

Online registration is closed, but race-day registration is available for $35 for adults and $20 for those 17 and younger. The fee is waived for adults accompanying children on the fun run.

The entry fee includes a race T-shirt, a promotional bag of coupons, souvenirs and post-race donor prizes. There will also be food, refreshments and a pool party for runners and their families at Woodstock Water Works following the race.

The overall winners, male and female, in the 5K will each receive a plaque and a gift certificate to the Running Depot in Crystal Lake. Plaques will also be awarded to the top three finishers in each of age divisions.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Woodstock recreation department’s playground program, which is in its 64th season of providing affordable, active and supervised programs for about 350 kids from Woodstock and Wonder Lake.

For additional information, call the Woodstock recreation department at 815-338-4363 or email Recreation Director Dave Zinnen at dzinnen@woodstockil.gov.