GNAR Ahead of the Mud Run, kids will have a chance to get down and dirty during the inaugural Gnarliest Kids Adventure Race at Camp Pinnacle in Hendersonville on May 18. Beginning at noon, kids ages 5-14 working in teams of two will navigate a variety
of challenges that may include (the course is top secret!) wall climbing, mountain biking, a low ropes course and other problem solving events. There will be many surprises that event volunteer Ellen Seagle said she couldn’t talk about (the kids will find out at the event), as well as a big, fancy finale. “There’s really nothing like this for kids,” she said. “It’s all about getting dirty and having fun.” A benefit for Mountain Community School in Hendersonville, GNAR will begin with instructions and a safety briefing by the race director. Competitors will be divided into three groups based on age and will start at set intervals. Tailored to each team’s age and ability, the race is meant to encourage teamwork while promoting active, healthy lifestyles. Registration is limited to 100 teams; cost per team is $50 (there is also an adult/child team category). For more on GNAR, visit www.active.com/adventure/hendersonville-nc/ gnar-the-gnarliest-kids-adventure-raceever-2012.
Mountain Sports Festival The Mountain Sports Festival over Memorial Day weekend in Asheville has lots of kids’ events, nearly all of them at the Festival Village. The free Keen Iron Kids events let kids test their strength in noncompetitive climbing, sprinting, basketball shooting and other activities. The festival also has relay races, a youth ultimate tournament, a kids’ duathlon and night hikes. There will also be a kids’ obstacle course, a bike race and a “wacky” golf tournament. The festival will have a Rise ‘n’ Shine 5K race hosted by Girls on the Run of WNC, a curriculum-based, character-development program that helps girls in grades three to eight train for a 5K race. “When I was in school, there was one chubby kid in my class. And now, unfortunately, there are a lot,” said Rachelle Sorensen-Cox, who founded the WNC chapter of Girls on the Run. “Kids live very indoor, sedentary lives. We need to give them safe places to run.” To that end, Girls of the Run
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(www.gotrwnc.org) is also holding its Girls on the Run 5K on May 19 at Biltmore Park Town Square. Primarily for girls who are part of the program, the nontimed event is “absolutely” open to all girls, Sorensen-Cox said. For details on Mountain Sports Festival, visit www.mountainsports festival.com. Find information on Girls on the Run at www.gotrwnc.org.
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Ramble Run On May 12, Mother’s Day weekend, the Ramble Run is expected to draw more than 1,000 runners and walkers to Biltmore Park in South Asheville. In its second year, it has a new feature — an expanded mother/child category in the 5K and 12K races for moms and kids younger than 18. The event also includes a rarity for races — free child care. Parent’s Race Out opens at 7:15 a.m. for children ages 12 and younger. It closes at 10:30 a.m. That gives parents time to run one race and then participate in the Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry and Haldeman Orthodontics Kids Kilometer Fun Run, a halfmile run around one of Biltmore Park’s quiet neighborhoods. The Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. For details and to register, visit www.ramblerun.com.