For the Love of the Bay 5K Run/Walk

Please to announce year 4 of the For the Love of the Bay 5/10K run and walk at Lake Merritt!!  
So excited to have this event again. From the people attending to the awesome medals we have had in the past, unique shirt designs, volunteers and of course our amazing sponsors, the event the past few years have been fantastic!!! Great finishing times, great weather, a colorful and inclusive Bay Area vibe and all smiles at the finish line. This year, we expect the event to be even better and more fun!!! And that’s what a 5/10K should be. Fun for all with a the mix of community involvement, friendly competition and families coming out, all in the name of Love for the Bay.  
We are encouraging people of all walks of life, tall and short, thin and wide, fast and slow to come out. Whether you are a strong runner, casual walker or family with a stroller, this is an event that we feel embodies the diversity and unique culture of the Bay Area!! For some of you, this will be your first time at Lake Merritt where the run takes place. It’s a beautiful lake and park and we intend to have it looking and feeling fun and friendly for all. 
We have done our BEST to make the event especially affordable. We want to help lower the barrier of entry for families and those who typically cannot afford the high registration cost of many of the weekend run events these days. The cost of entry for some of these races in the Bay Area are a joke. Especially working with major sponsors who fun their entire run. The money goes into these pockets of the organizers who sing the praises or Oakland but only because the profit they make from coming here to produce events like this for the elite. These community events shouldn’t break yours or your family’s pocketbook. We have no staff of 50 to pay. No run company administration to pay. The money we collect for the run goes straight back into the management of the run. 
Your registration includes:
Bibs with ChronoTrack racing chips to keep official timesResults posted within 4 hoursTop 3 overall prizes as well as Group Prizes for men and women, top 3 in each age group (15-35, 35-49, 50 and up) for Both 5K and 10K.  Event shirts for all who participate the day off.Event medals for all participants who finish the run/walk within 2 hours. A fun post event raffle with prizes from The Golden State Warriors (tickets), REI, GU Energy Labs, Oakland Zoo, Patagonia and more!!Photos from all angles by photographers who will have photos posted to share within 5 days of the event. Refreshment stations along the course, course officials on the course and post run snacks for race/run/walk energy/recovery. 
Packet pick-up: We will have multiple options including morning of the event (MUST BE CHECKED IN AT THE SIGN IN TABLE BY 7:40AM) as well as Thursday and Friday evening pickups at  REI in Berkeley (San Pablo Ave location) between 4:00pm and 7pm on both days. 
The starting line will be on the front Lawn at the Boathouse just past FairyLand on Bellevue Ave. Just look for smiling faces, red balloons and the red shirts gathering!!  Schedule/plan for race day the 21st:
6:40AM morning race packet pickup starts.  
7:40AM Gather and rally to the start, get run ready, share hugs, high fives and making sure the person next you laces are tied.
8:00AM Start the of 10K run (followed by 10K walkers).
8:10AM Start of the 5K (followed by event walkers and strollers). 
10:05AM Raffle starts (in the time between race and raffle we will have post race recovery items for all the runners). 
Parking is $5 on Bellevue in the Fairyland parking area. On the street, it’s metered parking starting at 8am. 19th BART would be the closest BART station to walk in from. It is .8 of a mile away from the starting line.