This year’s Run for the White Oak Savanna 5K race in West Linn – now in its fourth year – will take place on May 3, 2015, at its usual location at Rosemount Ridge Middle School. This is a fundraiser by Neighbors for a Livable West Linn, with the proceeds going toward the long-term project of restoring a white oak savanna as a Portland metro area park.
Unlike most of the races that we preview and recap here at Run Oregon, this is a track race. The 5K consists of 12 1/2 laps around a standard 400 meter track, and the 1 mile walk is 4 laps. It’s not chip-timed, but there is a race clock that starts when the race does; each runner – on the honor system – remembers his or her finishing time and tells it to a race volunteer, who records it.
I’ve run this race the last couple of years with a generous comp from the organizers, and it’s a low stress, well-managed event. Here’s my recap from last year. The underlying cause is one that has attracted a lot of corporate support, as there have been really nice donated prizes the last couple of years: free shoes, gift certificates to sporting goods store, outdoor apparel, and more. At $22.50, it’s a race that won’t bust your budget, and that includes a race shirt.
As a side bonus, the race organizers are trying to set a Guinness World Record for the most people planting bulbs at the same time. That effort will take place on April 18, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information, click here.
Run for the White Oak Savanna 5K/1 mile walk
When: May 3, 2015, at 9 a.m. (5K); 10 a.m. (1 mile walk)
Where: Rosemount Middle School, located at 20001 Salamo Road, West Linn.
Register: Download the registration form here. $22.50 if registration is received by April 18; after that, $25.
