VDT article on 10/06/07 – hope you will consider being a part of the event.

St. John’s prepares for race

By Jessica Pope

— VALDOSTA — Continuing an annual tradition, St. John Catholic School will host its 5K road race on Saturday, Oct. 27. The entry fee is $15 per person or $45 per family and includes a T-shirt.
Runners in 17 age divisions, ranging from 8 years of age and younger to 80 years of age and older, will begin converging on St. John Catholic School’s campus at 800 Gornto Road at 8 a.m., taking their mark half an hour later. Walkers are also welcome.
Race Director Jodi Harbin said runners will follow a scenic 5K route, meandering through the various residential neighborhoods surrounding St. John Catholic School. She said volunteers will be located at every corner, and cold water will be available at the mid-way point.
Prizes will be awarded to every first and second-place finisher in each of the 17 age divisions plus the fastest male and female overall and the fastest male and female 40 years of age and older, Harbin said.
“Our 5K road race is known as the largest of its kind in Valdosta,” she added.
Individuals looking for something a little shorter can enter St. John Catholic School’s one-mile fun run, which will begin following the 5K road race. The entry fee for this event is $10 per person and includes a T-shirt. Everyone who crosses the finish line will receive a participation ribbon.
“Between the 5K road race and the one-mile, we had 600 people participate last year,” Harbin said. “We are hoping to beat that this year.”
The final race of the day will be a tot trot. Boys and girls ages 4 and younger are invited to run in this event, which is free of charge. All participants will receive a participation ribbon.
Harbin said all proceeds from both the 5K road race and one-mile fun run will be used for various projects at St. John Catholic School. One of those is the creation of a track around the campus’s soccer field, she added.
Entry forms can be picked up at St. John Catholic School or Get Active Running and More, 3200-C N. Ashley St. They can also be downloaded by visiting www.stjohnschl.org. A late fee will be added to all race entries received after Oct. 21.
Established as a parish school in 1941 in a large frame building on Adair Street, St. John Catholic School opened with 24 students. In 1953, 13 acres of land were purchased on Gornto Road. The first building of the modern campus was constructed the following year.
St. John Catholic School features eight preschool classes, 25 classrooms, a media center, a computer lab, administrative offices, an art and music room, a science lab and lecture room, a cafeteria, and a faculty lounge. Encompassing preschool through eighth grade, class size is limited to 15 students in each preschool class and 25 students in each class from kindergarten through eighth grade.
St. John Catholic School seeks the unity between spiritual and educational fulfillment. Administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet from the St. Louis Province under the auspices of the parish pastor, its mission is to provide the highest quality education possible for its students in a Christian atmosphere as guided by the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith.

• Fun run
What: St. John Catholic School 5K road race, one-mile fun run and tot trot.
When: 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 27
Details: Call St. John Catholic School at (229) 244-2556, Jodi Harbin at (229) 247-9576 or visit www.stjohnschl.org for more information.

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