Hale to the Bird 5K

Nobody thought he was serious, but then they started to talk about what it would take to actually coordinate such a fun event! They figured if they could get 20 people to show up on Thanksgiving morning in Matt’s driveway in Cottage Grove they could do a trial run of what it would take to host a 5K. They planned to make it as realistic as possible by creating a flyer, ordering T-shirts, and selecting a charity, the Friends in Need Food Shelf, to receive any proceeds.

The three men started soliciting donations to help defer costs and allow for a more substantial donation. About a month before Thanksgiving around 15 people had committed to running the race. Three weeks before Thanksgiving that number had doubled. A week before Thanksgiving nearly 60 people had dropped off or mailed their registration to Matt. Now they started to panic! How were they going to fit 60 people into Matt’s driveway? What about using the bathroom? It became clear that in order to accommodate the demand, the race had to be moved from Matt’s driveway to Hamlet Park!

On race day over 80 people showed up, with single digit temperatures and a blanket of snow on the ground! Despite the weather it was an amazing event with lots of happy people ready to replace all of their burned calories! The Hale to the Bird 5K is looking forward to growing, while maintaining the charm of a small run! See you out there!