5K will raise funds for the The Shop

The first annual Spring a New Leaf 5K and Kids’ Run will be at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Hot Springs State Park.

Registration will begin at 7 a.m. There will be a $10 entry fee as well as a pancake breakfast after the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. at The Shop.

The 5K is designed for any fitness level. Participants can run, walk or roll at the event. The Kids’ Run will only be one mile.

“We want to emphasize that it will be fun — not serious at all,” organizer Shannon Shaffer said. “One hundred percent of the money raised will buy new gym equipment for The Shop.”

Shaffer said this is the first fundraiser they have had for The Shop and they hope to make it an annual event.

“We decided to have the pancake breakfast at The Shop so people can see what the gym looks like,” she said. “We don’t think enough of the community is aware that a free gym exists in our community.”

There will be four different adult categories for the 5K. The first category is for those who have never raced in a 5K before. The second category is for those who have fallen asleep on the couch within the last two weeks. The third category is for those who have played any college sports — even intramural — and bowling counts. The fourth category is for those who have ever colored their hair or grown out their hair.

“It’s all just going to be a lot of fun,” Shaffer said. “Even the trophies are going to be a bunch of potato heads. We did the Couch to 5K training with a bunch of girls, so this is our couch-potato run. For most of the girls, it will be the first 5K they have ever raced in.”

The Shop Ministries is an independent fitness center with a unique purpose and function to reach families in the community.

In an effort to create a community gym without monthly fees, binding contracts or consumer driven environments, The Shop is solely based on raised funds, grants or donations.

For more information contact Shannon Shaffer at 921-0653.