Completion of the Fishers portion of the Nickel Plate Trail last year provided an opportunity to make the Spark!Fishers 5K fun run even more fun to run.
Fishers Parks and Recreation Director Marissa Deckert said the new race route will incorporate the trail, which is a bonus not only for the more than 1,000 runners, but for traffic in general, since it will mean fewer road closures during the June 21 race.
“The main course, it starts and finishes downtown, running up the trail across 126th and then down Lantern (Road), so it’s a pretty great loop that isn’t impacting traffic significantly,” she said.
The trail will now take up about a third of the race route, or about a mile. That’s for the main event, but it’s more than just a 5K.
“We’ve got a couple of different activities,” Deckert said. “We’ve got the kids’ dash starting at 6:30 p.m., and then we have our 5K that starts at 7. And new this year, we’ve created an after-party, so there’ll be a live DJ and games and food.”
Race participants will receive a voucher for one free beverage during the after party, she said, but the event is open to everyone. The after party kicks off at 7:15 p.m., and lasts through 9 p.m., and is sponsored by IU Health and Mashcraft Brewing, which will be on site for the party.
Deckert said the after-party idea came about when the city decided to switch the race to an evening event, rather than a morning run.
“When we did that, we thought this is a perfect opportunity for families that are coming out to be able to engage,” she said. “Even if you’re not running the 5K, but you’re supporting somebody that’s running the 5K, you can still participate in the event happening that night.”
The after party will include a DJ spinning tunes, yard games, interactive games, and food and beverage vendors.
