Chum Run partners with Children's Center

The Chum Run organizing committee has announced a new partnership with the South Whidbey Children’s Center, which will now share proceeds of the annual event with the South Whidbey Community Park Scholarship Fund.

“We’re excited about joining forces with the Children’s Center,” said Chum Run race director Frazer Mann.

“They bring a lot of enthusiasm to this event. Plus they’re strongly committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle for kids. Participation will demonstrate that physical activity can be fun as well as beneficial,” he said.

The 5-kilometer Chum Run takes place Sunday, May 27 at South Whidbey Community Park on Maxwelton Road.

Now in its eleventh year, the Chum Run was originally a fundraising event for the Maxwelton Salmon Adventure. Named for the chum salmon that were reintroduced into Maxwelton Creek in the mid-’90s, the event title was retained after a local group of endurance athletes, known as “Down Sound Racing,” took over the operation in 2003.

“We want people to understand that the Chum Run is not just an event for hard-core runners,” Mann said. “We’d like to see everyone in the community lace up their running shoes and come out to the park. It’s about having fun, getting some exercise and supporting a good cause.”

The annual Children’s Center Spring Walk-a-Thon will be incorporated into the “walking” portion of the Chum Run. Pledges gathered by Walk-a-Thon participants will go directly to the Children’s Center.

“The Walk-a-Thon has always been a special day for our families to get together, as well as a fund raiser,” Children’s Center director Polly Schmitt said. “Now we can combine our efforts with the Chum Run and have a bigger and better event.”

Mann added that he hopes the Chum Run to not only become a major event for Whidbey Island, but also grow into a Puget Sound regional favorite.

“It can happen with strong community support,” Mann said.

For more information, call 221-5484 or visit www.swparks.org.

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