SAGINAW
For the 11th year, Girls on the Run Great Lakes Bay will host a celebratory 5K open to men, women, community runners and walkers of all ages. Affectionately known as the “Reindeer Run”, more than 600 antlered participants will run, walk, and skip through streets of Downtown Saginaw.
The Reindeer Run 5K kicks off the Girls on the Run 5K and leads the Positive Results Downtown Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 19. Participants will start at the Castle Museum (500 Federal Avenue, Saginaw) at 10:45 a.m. and finish at the Andersen Enrichment Center (120 Ezra Rust, Saginaw) where the finish line will greet them with a unique hand painted medal, hot chocolate, cookies, shopping at the Downtown Saginaw Farmer’s Market winter market tent, a display of cookie houses, and a great front row view of the holiday p[arade. Shuttles are available after the run on a limited basis from finish to start.
The Reindeer Run 5K is open to all community members and pre-registration is available online at www.gotrgreatlakesbay.org/5K until Thursday, November 17. All proceeds from the event benefit the GOTR Great Lakes Bay scholarship fund.
“This 5K highlights and exemplifies the joy of the Girls on the Run season, and the positive things happening in downtown Saginaw,” says Jen Naegele, Council Director for Girls on the Run Saginaw Bay. “After a two year hiatus during the pandemic, we are thrilled and grateful to be back and sharing this fun, family-friendly event with our community.”
Day-of registration will take place at the Castle Museum beginning at 9 a.m. on November 19 with music revving up the crowd before the 5K starts. Event organizers encourage participants to wear festive winter attire. Opportunities for sponsorships and volunteers are available.
The 5K serves as the finale to the fall Girls on the Run season. More than 200 Girls on the Run participants from Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Huron, Midland, and Iosco counties will run alongside 200 running buddies and 50 coaches, as these third through fifth grade girls complete their 10 weeks of self-esteem and healthy lifestyle training that lead them up to the 5K.
Girls on the Run seeks to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experiencebased curriculum which creatively integrates running. The goal is to create a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.