GREEN BAY — Astor Park will be the new designated area for pre- and post-race festivities and several events during the 33rd annual Bellin Run.
The move is part of organizers’ efforts to continue to provide a more spacious, enjoyable experience for participants and spectators at the 8 a.m. Saturday, June 13 event, race director Randy Van Straten said. The 2008 Bellin Run drew a record 15,149 registrants. It also was ranked the fourth-largest 10K (6.2-mile) road race in the United States.
“We learned a lot from last year’s Bellin Run and the growth we experienced,” he said. “Having, at times, recorded 250 participants per minute crossing the finish line, we knew that this year we’d have to make some changes to make sure this annual event remains manageable and fun for everyone. You don’t want space concerns and overcrowding to become detrimental to a great community fixture like the Bellin Run.”
Events, from Thursday to Friday, like the annual runner’s clinic, Health & Fitness Expo, spaghetti dinner, Kids Run & Fun Event and the awards ceremonies will be held at Astor Park. Until this year, such events were held at Baird Place Park.
“Given the expected crowd growth this year, we wanted to be proactive and move from Baird to Astor,” Van Straten said. “We’ll have much more room and can better accommodate the expected surge in registration this year. We’ve experienced record growth for four consecutive years and expect more of the same this year.”
Mass participatory events generally experience a spike in registrations during periods of economic downturn, Bellin Run operations director Dave McGillivray has said.
“So moving our race-related events over to Astor Park positions us quite nicely to accommodate this year’s Bellin Run participants, as have some of our other logistics changes, like the use of wave starts and an added shuttle bus route,” said Van Straten.
Online registration for the Bellin Run is underway at www.bellinrun.com. Early online registration is $17 through May 31. Mail-in registration is $20. Late online registration June 1-11 is $20. Mail-in registration June 1 through June 11 is $23. On race weekend, participants can register after 4 p.m. June 12 through race day for $25 at the Astor Park registration tent. All participants receive a Bellin Run T-shirt.
