Families can exercise and spend quality time together at the third annual Hullabaloo Family Obstacle Course Challenge starting at 9 a.m. Saturday at Kereiakes Park, 1220 Fairview Ave., hosted by Light of Chance Inc.
Participants can register online at lightofchance.org or on-site the day of the race at the park. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and is $12 for students kindergarten through 12th grade, $18 for adults and $12 for groups of five or more. The challenge is free for children ages 4 and under. The first wave of challengers will begin at 9 a.m.
Hullabaloo is a unique mile-long run, constructed of challenging obstacles designed to engage families of all ages and fitness levels. Different obstacles families may encounter include stations with balance beams, tire obstacles, cargo climbs, the spiderweb rope crawl and more.
Light of Chance founder Eric Logan knew he wanted to start a special event to give back to the community and that targeted youth. His vision led to the formation of Light of Chance and the creation of the Get Set Go Wellness Program in Bowling Green. The program has sought to combat childhood obesity since 2010.
“We as an organization try to get people to be the healthiest that they possibly can,” Logan said. “What makes (the run) unique is that it’s something the entire family can do together. It’s really important to get people active and get them moving.”
Logan said the event also creates awareness for the organization and childhood obesity issues in Kentucky. According to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Kentucky ranked third for childhood obesity in the United States and fifth for adults. All the proceeds of the race will benefit the wellness programs at Light of Chance.
“We wanted something that was true to the mission and something different and outside the box,” Logan said.
Bizcard Xpress owner Mike Burnell said he enjoyed seeing the young families out there enjoying themselves last year. Burnell decided to be one of the sponsors for the event this year because he believes in giving back to the community.
“I’m a firm believer in reaching out and helping when we can,” Burnell said. “We’re a new business and we’ve done a lot of that just because when you give back to the community they give back to you. It looked like a whole lot of family fun, and when someone is having fun, you want to get in on the fun. It’s contagious.”
Other sponsors for the event include WBKO, EH Harris Lumber Co., Western Kentucky University Office of Sustainability, TKO Custom Designs, S&R Tire Center, Bowling Green Backyard Boot Camp, Sodexo, WKU Facilities Management and Tony Huynh Real Estate Team.
Simone Payne
Bowling Green Daily News