Characters do count
2-minute drill
A quick chat with a Lisle newsmaker
The Scarecrow Scramble stirs up a brew of Halloween fun and a 5K run/walk this Saturday. The result is an afternoon festival full of pumpkins, costumes, tasty treats and a little fitness.
And under the guise of family fun, the event raises money for park beautification, scholarships, Snowball school events and Lisle Community Character Alliance activities.
Race director Kim Brondyke calls the third annual Scarecrow Scramble a great fall event where families can run together and participants are encouraged to wear costumes. In past years, she's seen runners dressed as the Three Blind Mice and a group of spiders within a web.
Q. Has it been fun to tie in a race with Halloween?
A. It has been delightful. From the design of the logo and T-shirts all the way to having it in the evening and including a pumpkin patch, it is all fun.
Q. How far is a 5K and how does that translate to Lisle Community Park?
A. It is 3.1 miles. The run begins at the stop sign between the Lisle Park District Community Center and Lisle High School. It goes west, winding through the industrial area to Yackley Avenue, where it picks up the park district pathway and turns east to the river. It goes around the south and north areas of Community Park.
Q. Is this a good race for beginners?
A. It is good for beginners because it is a fun race to run. It also is a run/walk event, so a beginner could become a walker if he or she chooses.
Q. Is having the event in the evening unusual?
A. Yes. You don't see a lot of runs in the evening. We have parts of the pathway lit with luminarias, the softball lights and other standing lights.
Q. How far do runners come to participate?
A. We are an official USATF course and are on a lot of race calendars, so we draw from all over Chicago and the suburban area.
Q. Why do Partners for Parks and the Lisle Community Character Alliance have a race?
A. It is fundraiser for both organizations. Partners is not a part of the park district. They try to beautify the parks and offer scholarships for people who might not be able to afford park programs. Character Counts promotes good character throughout the community and has an active teen group.
Q. What other activities are planned?
A. We have a 50-yard Tot Dash across the football field and a half-mile Youth Run up and down Short Street.
We will have a costume contest and people will run in costume, which is always fun to see. We have a hayride, pumpkin patch, bonfire and food from Sweet Tomatoes restaurant that includes muffins, cookies and fruit/vegetable trays, along with bagels, bananas and water for the runners.
In the costume contest, prizes are awarded to the top three males and females.
Q. What's part of the planning that the uninitiated may not think of?
A. I don't think people realize the amount of volunteer hours needed for a successful event. The committee starts planning in January and continues all the way to race day. We really rely on our great teen volunteers.
Q. Are you still in need of volunteers?
A. Always. You can call the park district at (630) 964-3410.
Q. When did you personally get interested in running?
A. About five years ago I realized walking wasn't as efficient an exercise as running. I thought it would be a challenge to run a 5K, and it made me more health conscious. I now teach a 5K training class and my students will run in the Scarecrow Scramble. I taught a boot camp this summer and will do an abs class this winter.
Q. What is one of the biggest mistakes runners make?
A. Runners make a mistake starting the race thinking it is a sprint. They start out too fast and in the last half of the race they slow down. They actually should do the opposite. A runner in any race should go out slower and finish the race stronger.
Q. The 5K lineup covers all ages. Do you get participants in each age division?
A. We do have participants in all age groups; however, it is a bell curve, with the most participants in the middle age groups.
The top three in every age category in the male and female groups will get a medal. We also have a masters award to the male and female older than 40 with the best times.
Every one in the Tot Dash gets a ribbon.
-- Joan Broz
If you go
What: The Scarecrow Scramble 5K Run/Walk and festival
When: 4 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Community Park, 1825 Short St., Lisle
Cost: $30 for 5K run/walk on race day; $25 for Youth Run; $8 for Tot Dash; under 10 walk free
Details: Costumes encouraged; 5K age divisions are 9 and younger, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 and older
Schedule:
• 4 p.m. registration/packet pick-up
• 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. pumpkin patch and hayrides
• 5:15 p.m. costume contest
• 5:45 p.m. Tot Dash for ages 3 to 6
• 6 p.m. Youth Run for ages 7 to 11
• 6:30 p.m. 5 K walk/run starts
Info: lislepartnersforparks.org