6:55pm | The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific has again joined forces with RUN Racing and the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon & Half Marathon to host a free one-mile Kids Fun Run on Saturday, October 8 at 9:00am.
The 2,000 kids ages 6 to 12, who will be running in the event at no cost, were encouraged to dress in blue or as their favorite marine creature. The Grand Marshall for the race is Lola, the Aquarium’s resident talking cockatoo. Costumed characters like Ray the sting ray will be cheering for the runners. Those participating will each receive a commemorative Octopus Medal, a finisher certificate and free entry to the Aquarium. Kids are timed and run in waves with their own age group. The event begins with a ceremony at 8:45am and lasts until 11:30am.
“The Kids Fun Run is a great way to inspire children to be healthy and to achieve their goals in life. When they visit the Aquarium, we hope to inspire them to make ocean conservation one of those goals,” said Cecile Fisher, Aquarium of the Pacific VP of marketing & communications. If they are interested, kids will also be able to help marine life by raising funds to feed the Aquarium animals. Participants can choose to run in honor of their favorite Aquarium marine creature, and all donations will go towards caring for that animal.
“The goal is to make running fun. Kids love the Aquarium. We think it’s a great way to motivate kids to be fit, healthy, and achieve,” said John Parks, EVP Marketing for RUN Racing.
On Sunday, October 9, more than 23,000 are expected to participate in the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, the weekend’s main event. Events include the Marathon, Half Marathon, Bike Tour, and Bubba Gump Run Forrest Run 5K.
2011 event sponsors to date include: International City Bank, JetBlue Airways, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach and Community Hospital Long Beach, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Waste Management, Buono’s Pizzeria, Cliff Bar, Michelob Ultra, and Long Beach Hyatt Hotel. Community Partners include UPS, Zico Pure Coconut Water, BNSF Railway, the Port of Long Beach, the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Savor Long Beach, the Downtown Long Beach Associates, and California State University Long Beach.
For more information on the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, please visit www.runlongbeach.com or call 562-427-4606.