The Will Rogers Race Foundation, which organizes the 4th of July run, makes net proceeds available for grants for local nonprofits.
This year will mark the annual 47th 5/10K Will Rogers 4th of July race. Every year nearly 3,000 register to walk, run or sprint the distances and some even push strollers.
There is a cost to register and everyone who does receives a T-shirt.
Many have complained about high registration fees, but surprise/shock, it takes money to put on a race.
Street permits have to be purchased, a timing system put in place, water supplied along the race, roads closed, a shuttle system put in place, health officials needed and the obligatory decorations and start/finish lines installed.
If there is any money left after expenses, the Will Rogers Run Foundation, a nonprofit, donates that money back to the community. This month 17 organizations received a grant to continue programs, https://www.circlingthenews.com/17-nonprofits-be…undation-funding/
But, every year, there is nothing is more irritating than people who just show up on the course and participate without registering.
There is a name for people who sneak into a race and run it without paying: “Bandits.”
A story in the May 25-26 Wall Street Journal (“‘You Stole!’ Runners Divided over ‘Bandits’ Who Crash Races”) wrote that “During the 2023 Miami Marathon, Frankie Ruiz, and event founder, spotted a bandit and pounced. He interrogated a runner wearing a comically bad counterfeit racing bib pinned to her shirt. She claimed she and pals had paid for entry to the race and were told to print out their bibs at home.
“‘Who did you give your money to?’ Ruiz asked.
“‘My friend,” the woman answered vaguely.
“‘That’s not a friend,’ Ruiz replied. ‘You’re not registered.’ Her race was done. She left the course, just 300 meters from the finish line.
“As the public face of the marathon’s surveillance group, aka the ‘bandit busters,’ Ruiz posts video of his team catching bandits – runners who crash events without signing up.”
“. . .Soldout events and increasing fees, which can top $150, spur some bandits to sneak in, while others simply see no harm in crashing the course.
“Ruiz is now known – and revered by some – for his bandit videos. He’s even nabbed bandits at Thanksgiving trots. ‘I’ve had entire families showing up without paying.’”
Well, maybe people in the economically deprived Pacific Palisades cannot afford to run the 4th of July course?
Of course not. No, some residents are more like birds, “cheap, cheap.”
Pay to play. If a resident doesn’t want to pay, walk the course the next day.
If a resident would like to be part of the group helping with planning or set up, contact thathaway@earthlink.net
To sign up, click here.
This is the shirt this year for people who sign up to run the race.
How can we order 4th of July race tee shirts, we’re out of town. Thank you. Please email: lawgirl14@yahoo.com
Appreciate it!