Keeping pace with the diverse face of the community -- That’s what participants will literally be doing later this month at the Two by Two Unity Run.
The Two by Two Unity Run, set for March 27 and now in its third year, will feature a 5K race and a one-mile run/walk/wheel that will start at Municipal Park in Opelika.
“This year we have partnered with Opelika City Schools and the Opelika Reads program,” said Douglas Underwood, race director of the Two by Two Unity Run. “The school with the greatest student participation will receive an award for the media center within the school, furnished by OCS.”
Underwood is looking for a strong turnout for the race, which had 128 runners in its first year in 2008. Day-of-race registration is available; however, pre-registration is encouraged.
As a unique feature of this year’s race, two runners of different races or cultures will have the option of being linked at the wrist with a Velcro device.
Each run begins and ends on Park Road, which is the road adjacent to Municipal Park that fronts the restored covered bridge, said Underwood, an avid runner and Auburn-Opelika Running and Track Association team member.
As the runners make their way toward the finish line, it’s the strides in broadening their relationships with one another that Barbara Patton, executive director of Envision Opelika, said is the real goal behind the Two by Two Unity Run.
“This is a unique run with a great mission: To strengthen relationships among citizens of all cultures in our community,” Patton said. “We all come from different backgrounds and different heritages — some groups more alike than others, but we’re all Americans and should be united in understanding and respect for one another.
“The better we know one another, the easier it is to accept and trust one another in the workplace and in the community,” Patton added. “All make for a better community.”
Although the Two by Two Unity Run is not organized as a fundraising event, any proceeds generated from the event will be shared with Character Education and Opelika Reads.
If you go
What: Two by Two Unity Run
When: Saturday, March 27 5K run at 8 a.m., Mile run/ walk/ wheel at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Opelika Municipal Park, 1102 Denson Drive, Opelika, AL
To register for the Two by Two Unity Run, visit www.envisionopelika.org, www.auburnrunning.org or contact Barbara Patton at 334-705-5138 or Doug Underwood at 334-745-5070.
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