Maroon Spirit run set for this Saturday

Blackwell residents are encouraged to show their “Maroon Spirit” at the Blackwell High School track for a 5K or a one-mile run on Saturday.

The Maroon Spirit Run will cost $20 to enter, with medals being awarded to the top three con-testants in each age division.

T-shirts are also available. Shirts ranging in size between youth and XL cost $10 each, and 2X and 3X shirts cost $14. Registration can be completed online by visiting https://forms.gle/PEfUstzeEKgp8pR59.

Those who don’t register online can also register the morning of the event at the Charles Hetrick Field House, which is where all runners will meet at 9 a.m.

The day will begin with the mile-run down Main Street and back to the high school.

The 5K will also take place down and around from the high school to Main Street. The Maroon Spirit Run will raise money for Blackwell’s middle and high school track teams, with all proceeds going back to the Maroons.

Blackwell Middle School Girls Athletics Coach Kari Widener is heading the run, along with fellow coach Brent Parker.

“This is all going back into the track program,” Widener said. “The Maroon Spirit Run used to be held every year around Homecoming and hasn’t been held in about 10 years, so we’re very excited to bring this event back in a way that not only promotes physical health, but also helps our athletes and shows them that our fantastic community is behind them.”

Widener said the athletic team recently got new uniforms from a donation by the Beatty Trust, replacing the old ones that have been around for “a while.”

The funds raised from the Maroon Spirit Run will pay for equipment and traveling expenses for the middle and high schools’ 100 combined track athletes.

“Track is really coming back in a big way, which is fantastic,” Widener said. “This is going to be an awesome way to bring the ‘spirit’ back into ‘Maroon Spirit,’ and of course, it was amazing being able to collaborate on someone as community-minded and driven as coach Parker, who has been an invaluable asset to Blackwell’s athletic programs since he came to town.”