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Photo by Jon Anderson.
Runners take off at the start of the 2019 High Country 5K at Shades Crest Baptist Church in April 2019.
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Photo courtesy of John Latimer.
Members of “Team Courtlynn” pose for a photo at the 2021 Birmingham Diabetes Walk for Camp Seale Harris at Veterans Park.
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Photo courtesy of Jefferson State Community College.
Runners participate in the 2019 Judy M. Merritt Memorial 5K at Veterans Park.
Runners and walkers have several opportunities to take part in 5K events in Hoover in April.
Shades Crest Baptist Church is putting on its annual High Country 5K and Mile Fun Run in Bluff Park on April 9, and Southeastern Diabetes Education Services is holding its Diabetes Walk for Camp Seale-Harris at Veterans Park the same day.
Then on April 16, Jefferson State Community College is bringing its annual Judy M. Merritt Memorial 5K and Community EGGstravaganza back as an in-person event at Veterans Park on April 16.
Here’s more information about each event:
High Country 5K & Mile Fun Run
The 5K run/walk will begin at 8 a.m. at Shades Crest Baptist Church at 452 Park Ave., wind through the streets of Bluff Park and end at the church. The 1-mile fun run is scheduled for 9 a.m. and will be followed by a pancake breakfast for all participants, their families and supporters in the church about 9:15 a.m., said Mark Johnson, an associate pastor who is organizing the run.
There also will be a free pasta dinner for all registered runners and their families the night before from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 8. Runners can pick up their packets from 4 to 8 p.m. that night in the front of the church’s fellowship hall. If there is inclement weather, packet pickup will be in the building next to fellowship hall.
The cost to participate is $30 through March 27, $35 March 28-April 8 and $40 the day of the race. Students ages 1-17 can register for $10. The race will take place rain or shine with no refunds, organizers said.
The first 300 runners to register for the 5K will receive a T-shirt. Refreshments will be offered at the start and finish of the race. The Trak Shak is managing the race.
The High Country 5K was called off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but returned last year without the indoor portions of the event. About 125 people participated last year, which is about half as many as in 2019, Johnson said.
The race is not a fundraiser. The entry fee is used to cover costs, Johnson said.
“We’re just trying to break even,” he said. “It’s a community event to encourage people to participate in exercise and get together as a community around a short, little 3-mile run and to get to know and enjoy each other.”
At this year’s race, organizers also plan to honor the course record-holder, Jeremy Moujoodi, a longtime Hoover resident and Hoover High graduate who died in July at age 33. His record time for the course is 15 minutes, 43.8 seconds. His wife is supposed to be present at the race, Johnson said.
To register for the High Country 5K or for more information, go to shadescrest.org or call 205-822-1750.
Birmingham-Hoover Diabetes Walk
Southeastern Diabetes Education Services plans to hold its annual Diabetes Walk for Camp-Seale Harris on Saturday, April 9, at Veterans Park.
The walk, which includes a 1-mile option and 3.1-mile option, raises money to help send children with diabetes to day camps and summer camps that are designed specifically for them.
This year’s race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., but other activities will continue through noon, including music with a disc jockey, balloon art, a bounce house/slide and various vendors, said Shelby Harrison, the community and events manager for the nonprofit.
The walk typically draws 150 to 200 people and last year attracted 200 to 250 participants, including about 30 teams that had registered to raise money in conjunction with the walk.
Most teams typically are designed to raise money to supplement a particular child’s camp fees, but some businesses and civic groups form teams to raise money for the overall effort, which includes a general scholarship fund.
“No child is turned away from Camp Seale-Harris regardless of financial status,” Harrison said.
Last year’s Birmingham-Hoover event raised more than $25,000, and walks statewide raised $97,000, she said. The nonprofit organizes six walks throughout Alabama and northwest Florida. Walks this year were scheduled for March 12 in Pensacola, March 13 in Mobile, April 2 in Dothan, April 3 in Montgomery, April 9 in Hoover and April 10 in Huntsville.
As of late February, 31 teams had registered for the Birmingham-Hoover walk, but more were expected, Harrison said. “We have teams register all the way up to the day of the event,” she said.
The nonprofit hopes to raise more than $30,000 with the Birmingham-Hoover walk this year and $125,000 statewide, Harrison said.
To register or for more information, go to campsealeharris.org/diabeteswalk.
Judy M. Merritt Memorial 5K
Jefferson State Community College is holding its Judy M. Merritt Memorial 5K and Community EGGstravaganza in its traditional format this year after making the run virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 5K is conducted in memory of Merritt, who served as Jeff State’s president for 35 years and was the first woman appointed as a college president in Alabama. She died in October 2014 at her home in Chelsea less than four months after leaving her job at Jeff State.
All proceeds from the 5K go to provide scholarships for needy Jeff State students.
The race is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 16. After the race at 10:30 a.m., medals will be given to the top three male and top three female finishers overall as well as the top male and female runners in various age groups. All participants will receive swag bags and T-shirts.
After the race, the EGGstravaganza will include an Easter egg hunt for all ages with more than 10,000 Easter eggs that contain cash and tickets for free treats from Chick-fil-A, Steel City Pops and City Bowls, organizers said. There also will be free popcorn, cotton candy and Pepsi products available.
The cost to participate in the 5K is $20 ($15 for college students and children ages 18 and younger who use the STUDENT code at checkout). For people who would rather sleep in but want to donate, a $15 option is available that includes the swag bag and T-shirt.
Participants can pick up packets on Friday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Judy M. Merritt Building on Jeff State’s Shelby-Hoover campus next door to Veterans Park. Packets also can be picked up on race day from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
To register for the race, go to jeffersonstate.edu/5K. For more information, contact Libby Holmes at lholmes@jeffersonstate.edu or at 205-983-5230.
