Around here, it just doesn’t seem like Memorial Day without starting the morning running in or watching BAPA’s Ridge Run.
For everyone who’s missing the fun and challenge of Chicago’s favorite neighborhood race, BAPA is hosting the first virtual Ridge Run. Beginning on Memorial Day, May 31, participants will have until Mon., June 7 to complete the Ridge Run 5K, 10K or 5K/10K Challenge races on their own schedules.
Route maps and registration are available online at www.bapa.org. Everyone who registers by May 17 will receive their Virtual Ridge Run T-shirt by Memorial Day; participants who register May 18 through June 7 will receive T-shirts after the race. Post your times on social media using the appropriate race hashtag — #BAPARidgeRun5K, #BAPARidgeRun10K or #BAPARidgeRunChalllenge.
The live Ridge Run (which will have its own T-shirt) is planned for Sat., Sept. 4, so runners and walkers have options to participate in the virtual event, the live event or a combination of the two. See page ___ for complete list of registration options.
The Ridge Run is the oldest Chicago neighborhood 10K that is still being held. The first starting pistol went off in the early 1970s, when the hundreds of runners jogging down Longwood Drive were decked out in colorful short shorts, sweat-soaked bandanas and calf-hugging tube socks. Despite the apparel, the race was an immediate hit, and quickly became a must-do event for Memorial Day weekend.
By the early 1980s, the Ridge Run was drawing runners from throughout the city and suburbs and had established a reputation as a well-run race with the added challenge of running up the highest hill in Chicago and the bonus of a tree-lined, residential race route lined with friendly spectators cheering on the participants. The Ridge Run continues to uphold these traditions that are unique to Beverly/Morgan Park.
Area runners who want to add an extra level to their quest for a personal best or take a run “back in time” are invited to stop in at Running Excels, 10328 S. Western for free printed-outs of the Red, White and Blue Routes — three different Ridge Run 10K certified courses that were used during the race’s 44–year history. The routes will also be available at www.bapa.org.
Although the virtual version of the Ridge Run will be a different experience this Memorial Day, BAPA is eager for an all new way to kick off the summer with our neighbors.
The live race on Sept. 4 will feature the full complement of race options – 5K run, 5K untimed walk, 10K run, 5K + 10K Challenge, and Youth Mile – and a family festival at Ridge Park following the races.
Whether you’re running for the nostalgia, to see a different part of the neighborhood, to experience how BAPA’s iconic racing event has changed, or to get a T-shirt with the cool new Ridge Run logo, BAPA is looking forward welcoming you to the virtual Ridge Run and making this a social media-driven event filled with friendly competition and South Side pride.
Run for fun, run to beat your best Ridge Run record, run to set a time to beat at BAPA’s live Ridge Run on Labor Day weekend, or just run because it’s what we do on Memorial Day.
