Department of Parks
State Park Race Series Starts April 14 With Goose Creek 5K

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The 8th Annual Kentucky State Park Race Series, including a 5K Family Fun Walk, will start April 14 with the Goose Creek 5K at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville.

The Goose Creek 5K is the first of five state park footraces scheduled for 2012. Runners of all ages can take part in all five races to capture the overall championship based on a point system. Additional dates and races are:

• May 12, Spring Hoot 5K at Barren River State Resort Park near Glasgow;
• June 9, Possum Ridge 5K at Taylorsville Lake State Park at Taylorsville;
• July 14, Magnolia 5K at Rough River Dam State Resort Park near Leitchfield; and
• Aug. 18, Turkey Strut 5K at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park near Jamestown.

Each race has a preregistration fee of $15 and a race day fee of $20. For $65, runners can sign up for all five races if paid by April 13. Registration for individual races is handled through the individual parks. The fee for walkers for individual races is $10 in advance of the race and $15 on race day. Walkers can sign up for all five races for only $40 if paid by April 13.

To register for all five races, runners should complete an online registration form, available on the website listed below, and send it to: Kentucky State Parks Race Series, 500 Mero St., 11^th floor, Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort, Ky. 40601.

All races will begin between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time on race day.

Awards will be given to the overall male and female winner of each race and first and second place winners in each male and female age division. The grand prize winners, who must compete in all five races, will be named at the Aug. 18 Lake Cumberland race. Runners who participate in all five races will receive a certificate and will be registered for a special giveaway.

Registration information is available at the state park race series website at www.parks.ky.gov/race-series. You may also email or call Shawn Pickens at shawn.pickens@ky.gov or 502-564-8110, ext 247.

If you want to get ready for the race series, visit E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park on March 10 for the 20^th Annual Irish Classic 10K.

This race takes you through the park and into the quaint community of Anchorage. The course is essentially flat with a few rolling hills. Early registration fee is $15 per racer and ends Feb. 23, 2012. Late registration and day-of registration are $20 per racer. Participants who register before Feb. 23 are guaranteed an event T-shirt. Day-of registration begins at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 9 a.m. The awards ceremony will follow the race. For questions and registration, call 502-429-7270. You can download a registration form at: http://www.parks.ky.gov/calendar/details/20th-annual-irish-classic/16965/

Another 5K race series is planned later this year at state parks in western Kentucky. They include Kenlake State Resort Park (Aug. 25), Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park (Sept. 22), Lake Barkley State Resort Park (Oct. 27), Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park (Nov. 10), and John James Audubon State Park (Dec. 15. Visit www.parks.ky.gov and click on the calendar for details.

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The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 51 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our website at http://www.parks.ky.gov