This spring, nearly 2,400 girls will participate in our 5k run/walk to celebrate completion of their Girls on the Run® training program. The Girls on the Run 5K is the culmination of the Kalamazoo program. The run/walk will be held on Thursday, May 24th at 6:30, beginning and ending at Waldo Stadium on the campus of Western Michigan University. There will be a short program beforehand that will start at 5:45 p.m.
The girls celebrate their successes, affirm the lessons they have learned, and share their enthusiasm for running and healthy living with members of the public. Every girl is number 1, and every runner is a winner. Come, run with the girls and provide support and positive energy!
register to run or walk with the girls
Community members are encouraged to sign up to run or walk with the girls! Registration will be available here soon!
NOTE: All ages are welcome to register as community runners/walkers, however, for safety reasons and due to AstroTurf surface inside Waldo Stadium, no strollers, in-line skates, bicycles or pets are allowed on the course.
Fees: $25 per person * $60 family rate - on or before May 21
Fees: $30 per person * $70 family rate - after May 21
packet pick-up
Packet pick up will be available at Gazelle Sports located at 214 S. Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 from 10am – 8pm and at Waldo Stadium on the day of the event from 4 – 6pm.
parking
On the day of the 5k, parking will be available for Girls on the Run volunteers, runners, walkers, spectators and families in all WMU parking lots surrounding Waldo Stadium, including the lot in front of the Student Recreation Center, except for Lots #7 and #9 adjacent to Waldo Stadium. The KCMS Lot on Oakland Drive is available only after 6 pm. Handicapped parking is located in lot #7 on Stadium Drive. To see a WMU parking map, click here.
map of schools/sites inside stadium
Click here to see where each school/site will be inside Waldo Stadium (subject to change).
concessions, sales, volunteer and community runner check-in
Information will be available soon.
register to volunteer at the 5k
Volunteer registration will be available in March.
Volunteer parking is available that afternoon at any WMU lot, with the exception of lots 7 and 9. Thank you for your willingness to be part of this energizing event!
Volunteer Role Descriptions
Set Up: Before the crowds arrive, these busy workers will be setting up the course and equipment inside Waldo Stadium. This will involve some heavy lifting.
Tear Down: After the run is completed and everyone has gone home, these folks are cleaning up the party! This will involve some heavy lifting. We recommend that if you plan to celebrate a girl's accomplishment after the 5k that this is not the role for you.
Tear Down Friday: The day after the event, many of our supplies have to find their homes. These volunteers will work from 9-12 unloading a truck at various sites around town. This will involve some heavy lifting.
Course: These great people will line the course on designated spots to cheer on the girls and provide any assistance needed. You may be asked to walk to your place on the course (up to a half mile distance).
First Aid: Are you First Aid and/or CPR certified? We would like a few people to handle the minor scrapes and bumps of the day. Emergency medical technicians will be on site as well.
Parking: The Parking volunteers will work as a team with our public safety officers to facilitate the safe delivery of girls to the event and the flow of cars into parking spaces. This is a critical area where we need assertive volunteers!
Floaters: Floaters will help wherever they are needed! You can expect to be on your feet and on the go in this position.
Safety Marshals: Safety volunteers will be posted throughout the course at major intersections and areas of high concentration. These volunteers have been recruited ahead of time, so please sign up for this team only if you have been requested to do so by the safety captain.
Motivation Stations: This high energy and enthusiastic cheer station will be staffed by pre-assigned groups. Please specify your organization name when signing up for this role.
Community Runners - Wednesday: The days before the event, volunteers are needed to man the packet pick-up and late registration table at Gazelle Sports.
Community Runners – Thursday: The Community Runner volunteers will assist with packet pick-up and late registration at Waldo Stadium.
Water Stations: Water station volunteers will hand out water to athletes and cheer them on! These volunteers have been recruited ahead of time, so please sign up for this team only if you have been requested to do so by the water station captain. Please specify your organization name when signing up for this role.
Volunteers Station: Assist volunteer coordinator with placement of volunteers and distribution of volunteer t-shirts.
Food: Set up and hand out food and beverages to our athletes!
Greeters: Greeters will be stationed at each of the entrances to Waldo Stadium and will provide event day flyers and direction to our spectators.
Sales: Girls on the Run apparel and accessories will be available for sale on the day of the event. Volunteers will set-up and act as cashiers for 2 booths.
course map
TBA
road and lane closures
The girls will leave Waldo Stadium and head downtown on South Street on their 3.1 mile journey through the downtown streets then back on West Lovell to Waldo Stadium. Traffic will be routed around the downtown area to the east.
Road and lane closures will be announced as the event date nears.
directions to waldo stadium
The event is being held at Waldo Stadium on the campus of Western
Michigan University, just west of downtown Kalamazoo.
Directions from I-94: At Exit #74, turn north onto US-131, go 2.7
miles then follow directions from US-131.
Directions from US-131: At Exit #36, turn East onto Stadium Drive,
go 2.2 miles. Waldo Stadium is accessible from Stadium Drive and
Oakland Drive.
WHAT TIME SHOULD WE ARRIVE?
Your participant should be on the football field at her designated site sign by 5:30 pm. Some sites will coordinate buses to transport your daughter and others will ask that she find her own transportation. Please learn from your daughter’s coaches or site liaison about the transportation plan for the event. Spectators will want to arrive well in advance of the 6:30 p.m. start. Warm-ups begin at 5:45 pm and the opening ceremony starts at 6 pm. You will need to allow time for traffic, parking and walking to the stadium.
FREE PARKING
Parking is available in all WMU parking lots surrounding Waldo Stadium, including the lot in front of the Student Recreation Center except for Lots #7 and #9 adjacent to Waldo Stadium. The KCMS Lot on Oakland Drive is available only after 6 pm. Handicapped parking is located in lot #7 on Stadium Drive. To see a WMU parking map, click here.
Some sites have secured school buses to transport girls to the 5k. Check with your daughter’s coaches to learn if a bus is available for her team. School buses will drop off participants on Oakland Drive at the service drive for the stadium. Parking and traffic attendants will be on-site to assist you.
DO I NEED TO REGISTER MY DAUGHTER FOR THE Girls on the Run 5K?
No. Your daughter is already registered for the event. You do not need to complete a registration form for her.
WHERE DO WE GO AS SPECTATORS?
You may watch your daughter and the opening ceremony from the stands inside Waldo Stadium, or you may want to get out on the course to cheer her on! Please see the enclosed course map for details. For safety reasons, please do not bring pets, bicycles, strollers or roller blades on the course. High-heeled shoes also are not allowed on the football field.
WHO WILL BE WITH MY DAUGHTER?
At the field your daughter will be with the coaches from her site.
WILL THERE BE FOOD AND DRINKS AVAILABLE?
Waldo Stadium is opening their concession stands in the lower concourse. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. To protect WMU’s football field, no coolers, food or drink are allowed on the football field – except for water.
HOW DO I REGISTER TO RUN WITH MY DAUGHTER?
Our community runner brochure will be sent home with each participant in April. Online registration will be available soon. Registration is $25 per runner/walker and can be mailed to:
Greater Kalamazoo Girls on the Run
157 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 70
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
WHAT IF MY DAUGHTER GETS HURT OR NEEDS HELP?
There will be emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and first aid volunteers (in red t-shirts) on-site and throughout the course should any kind of medical assistance be necessary.
Volunteers will be lining the entire course so that they are in eyesight of one another. In addition, there will be public safety officers on bikes throughout the course. All major roads will be closed to traffic and staffed by public safety officers.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
You can support our local program by shopping for Girls on the Run t-shirts and more.
Please, no coolers or food on the football field except for water. Don’t forget your cameras and video recording devices! And bring tons of encouragement and your excitement!
WHAT IF IT RAINS OR STORMS?
The event will be cancelled by 6:00PM if there is lightning. If it is at all possible (even in the rain!) we will continue to have the event. It will NOT be rescheduled. Please tune in to Q106.5 FM and 103.3 FM or visit this website for a weather related cancellation announcement.
WHEN WILL THE EVENT FINISH?
Please encourage your daughter to stay until the last girl has crossed the finish line. Every girl appreciates all the support she can get in reaching her goal! The event typically will finish by no later than 8:00 p.m.
