BAPA Hosts 42nd Annual Ridge Run on Memorial Day
Expect some new challenges and fun changes at BAPA’s 42nd Annual Ridge Run on Mon., May 27. The race course has been recertified and will take 10K runners on a slightly different route, and the festival will offer new vendors and kid-friendly activities.
“We keep the event fresh and exciting for participants, but some things will never change for the Ridge Run,” said BAPA Executive Director Susan Flood. “The spirits of the runners will always be lifted by cheers from the spectators and beauty of our neighborhood, and participants will always be challenged by making it up Chicago’s highest hill.”
The community’s signature event takes runners, walkers and marchers through the historic district to run the 10K, 5K and Youth Mile Ridge Runs followed by the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park/Mount Greenwood Memorial Day Parade down Longwood Drive.
“The Ridge Run is Chicago’s favorite neighborhood race because it expresses such a strong sense of community,” Flood said. “The cheering spectators all along the route are neighbors who have become friends and friends who have become family. It’s a symbol of belonging that, like the race, runs through the heart of our neighborhood.”
The presenting sponsor of the Ridge Run is Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers (LCMH), which generously provides the day’s health necessities including the Ridge Run doctor and first aid tent, as well as with general health information.
A Catholic, not-for-profit hospital, LCMH been a vital health resource for the community for nearly 90 years. LCMH continues to achieve accolades for quality through its revolutionary medical technologies and services both at its home and satellite locations and was recently named among best hospitals by U.S. News and World Report.
Presenting sponsor of the parade is the Road Home Program Center for Veterans and their Families at Rush University Medical Center (find more information on page ).
Start Training Now!
April is the time to get in the full swing of training for the Ridge Run. If you’ve never run before, check out the new 5K training at Running Excels, 10328 S. Western (read more on page __.)
Students and families at local schools are also training to run as teams and compete for the 2019 school team trophy presented by BAPA. School teams are supervised by volunteers and training guides developed by Jenny Harkins of Treadfit Beverly are available for free from BAPA, contact Gary Jenkins, gjenkins@bapa.org.
Registration
Ridge Run registration continues until race day for participants signing up for the 10K run, 5K run or untimed walk, Ridge Run Challenge 5K and 10K, and, for kids up to age 12, the untimed Youth Mile. (The wee ones can compete in the Tot Trot in the kids’ zone). Register by May 1 to guarantee getting your Ridge Run t-shirt. Sign up online until May 20 at www.bapa.org, then sign-up and pick up race packets through May 26 (see www.bapa.org for registration schedule). Fees increase for race-day registration.
Registration for participating in the Memorial Day Parade continues through May 20. Applications are available online at www.bapa.org on the Ridge Run page or you can request a paper application by emailing bapa@bapa.org.
Race Day
The Ridge Run begins with the 10K at 8 a.m. followed by the Youth Mile at 8:10 a.m. The Memorial Day Ceremony begins at 9 a.m. in Ridge Park and the 5K run and walk starts at 9:30 a.m.
Make your way or stay on Longwood Drive once the 5K runners pass by! The Memorial Day Parade steps off immediately following the last runner at about 10:30 a.m., starting from 110th and Longwood Drive and proceeding north to Ridge Park.
Post-race festivities at Ridge Park feature runner awards, food trucks and children’s activities.
Be a Ridge Run Volunteer
BAPA’s neighborhood race travels through the heart of our community, and we need volunteers to help as course marshals at selected corners to make sure runners stay on the route, at aid stations where they hand out water and at Ridge Park. Volunteers get a great volunteer t-shirt. Interested? If you have questions, call BAPA, 773-233-3100.Sign up to volunteer at www.bapa,org on the Ridge Run page.
Thank You Sponsors
Ridge Run sponsors help to ensure the success of the event, and sponsorships are still available; for information contact Anna Fratto, 773-233-3100 or afratto@bapa.org.
Thank you to Little Company of Mary Hospital, Mike Haggerty Buick GMC Volkswagen of Oak Lawn, Beverly Bank, Road Home Program, Southtown Health Foods, CIBC, County Fair, 19th Ward Youth Foundation, Marquette Bank, Smith Village, Whole Foods, ExcellCare Physical Therapy, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services – Biros Real Estate, Beverly Hills Animal Hospital, Home Run Inn, Chicago Park District, 670 Score Sports Radio, State Farm Agent John Harrell, IMPACT Physical Therapy, Chicago Recovery Room, Calabria Imports, Running Excels, The Beverly Review and Beverly Records.
For more information about participating in or volunteering for the Ridge Run or Memorial Day Parade, contact the Beverly Area Planning Association, 773-233-3100, bapa@bapa.org or www.bapa.org.
