The 12th annual Winterville Snowflake 10K will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 in Pittard Park.
Runners and walkers across Oglethorpe County will ring in the new year with the return of the seventh annual Firefly Trail Race Series, a six-race lineup designed to bring the community together and raise awareness of the Firefly Trail.
The series will kick off with the 12th annual Winterville Snowflake 10K on Saturday, Jan. 10, hosted by the Winterville Civitan Club. The race features a flat course that is certified by USA Track and Field.
“(The Firefly Trail Race Series) is very much community-oriented in some of the cities, in Winterville in particular,” Firefly Race Series organizer Anne Garner said.
The Winterville Snowflake 10K was created in 2015 as a Civitan Club fundraiser to support its scholarship program, which awards two $3,000 scholarships to local high school students for college tuition.
“It used to be a small one before we got involved in the series,” Winterville Civitan treasurer Michael Law said. “It generated a little bit of money, but it wasn’t enough to carry the weight of this whole scholarship program.”
Initially hesitant to join the Firefly Trail Race Series, the Civitan Club has since seen participation triple. The race is now the organization’s largest fundraiser.
“The race has grown to the point where it now fully funds our scholarships,” Law said.
The series continues in March with the introduction of the Trailblazer 5K at Athens’ Dudley Park. Last year marked the first time the series expanded from four to six races, adding events in March and August.
This year, organizers are taking a new approach with the spring race.
“The Trailblazer 5K, we think, is going to be even more successful than last year’s race that was in that position because we didn’t have the opportunity to pair it up with the annual Ticket to Ride,’’ Garner said.
The Firefly Trail Ticket to Ride is an annual bike race that begins at Dudley Park and allows riders to travel between 14 and 82 miles along the Firefly Trail corridor between Athens and Union Point. The out-and-back format allows riders to choose how far they want to ride.
The Trailblazer 5K will take place before the bike race to accommodate different groups of participants.
“We decided that this would be a great idea to put the 5K ahead of it,” Garner said. “I think some folks are going to run the race and then bike, so they might do both.”
A half-mile Fun Run for ages 12 and under will also be available.
In addition to a new race, participants can now register for all six races at once, or choose to only compete in the spring or fall series, or individual races. Each event will also offer a virtual participation option.
Other races in the Firefly Trail series are:
- Trailblazer 5K, Athens, March 28
- Maxeys Model Mile 5K, Maxeys, May 16
- Fleet Feet 8K, Athens, Aug. 23
- Restoration Run 5K, Crawford, Sept. 7
- Junction Jamboree Jog 5K, Union Point, Sept. 26
“If we have a successful race, we have a successful year,” Law said. “And when that happens, we’re able to do more things in the community and we become a better community partner.”