Staff / Samantha M. Shal
From left, Run With the Dogs Frostbite 5K organizers Michael Harbin, sponsorship coordinator, Jim Newbury, marketing coordinator and designer, Kelly Walsh, logistics coordinator, and Bill Ainslie, race coordinator, show this year's poster near the start of the race, which will be held January 12 and is a fundraiser for the Decatur Bulldog Boosters.
From left, Run With the Dogs Frostbite 5K organizers Michael Harbin, sponsorship coordinator, Jim Newbury, marketing coordinator and designer, Kelly Walsh, logistics coordinator, and Bill Ainslie, race coordinator, show this year's poster near the start of the race, which will be held January 12 and is a fundraiser for the Decatur Bulldog Boosters.
The Decatur Bulldog Boosters will host their eighth annual Run with the Dogs Frostbite 5K, which will begin and end on North McDonough Street in front of the high school. The course will run through city residential areas.
Last year the fundraiser netted about $2,500 to help support the sports programs at the schools and purchase uniforms, equipment and student recognition awards, said Bill Ainslie, race organizer and past-chair of the boosters group.
“The whole point of this is to help the kids and to help the student athletes at the high school and the middle school get what they need to play and be competitive and fulfill their dreams,” he said.
Those of all age groups and athletic levels are invited to run or walk the 5K and bring their dogs along to participate as well. Ainslie said initially the race was named as just a nod to the schools’ bulldog mascot.
“Just a year or so ago, after having several runs prior to that where people actually brought their dogs, we started thinking perhaps we should make this a more dog friendly event,” he explained.
The event is now literally a “run with the dogs” as about half the participants compete with their pets, he added.
The race will be held rain or shine, and Ainslie recommended participants to dress warm.
“We do live on the edge every year when it comes to weather,” he said.
Ainslie added the city has been very helpful in supporting the run. After the event, the city will hold its awards ceremony for the individuals who completed last year’s Grand Slam Fitness Challenge. The city extended the challenge to citizens to stay active by joining Team Decatur and completing at least four 5K races throughout the year, including the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk in downtown Atlanta in September.
The Run with the Dogs Frostbite 5K represents the first in the Team Decatur Grand Slam Fitness Challenge events for 2013.
If you go:
What: Run with the Dogs Frostbite 5K
Where: Decatur High School, 310 N. McDonough St., Decatur
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.
Cost: $30 or $20 for city of Decatur students and teachers
Registration: www.active.com/running/decatur-ga/run-with-the-dogs-5k-2013
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