Freedom 5K

Picture this: Small town America on the 4th of July, and the streets are lined with thousands of people -- families, rodeo fans, veterans, grandparents, young and old alike; all waiting with much anticipation to watch one of the largest Independence Day street parades west of the Mississippi. Now, imagine that they are also waiting to cheer on YOU. 

That's right, you too can run or walk the Freedom 5K road race in Molalla, Oregon, just ahead of the Giant Street Parade. How often do you get a chance to have your spirits buoyed by thousands of adoring fans? And the best part is the little kids along the course who are always happy to give high-fives to runners and walkers -- they don't know, or care, if you are in 43rd place of 343rd place, they're just out there having fun. 

All participants receive a tri-blend athletic t-shirt, a Molalla Buckaroo rodeo ticket, and a finisher's medal. There is a fee to run/walk the Freedom 5K, but all profits are donated back into the Molalla community. To register, go to: http://molallarunningclub.com/races/freedom-5k/

You can also register the morning of the race, but numbers are capped at 575 participants, and this has become a very popular race, so keep that in mind. I'm bummed that I won't be around to run it this year, so someone else is needs to go an have fun in my place.

Here's a fun course preview from the 2015 Freedom 5K: