Why a 7K? The Health Planning Council chose a 7K (4.37m) distance to separate our race from the other more common distances such as 5K and 8K. More importantly, we chose a 7K distance to align the number 7 with the number of counties we service in the region and with the 7 qualities that describe healthy and sustainable communities. Over the next few years,
the Health Planning Council plans to expand the Community First Hale & Hearty7K into at least 6 other communities within the 7 county region.
About the Course
The Community First Credit Union Hale & Hearty7K will start at the Riverside Arts Market with an 8:00 AM start. The course will take runners through two of Riverside's most popular and frequented parks, Memorial Park and Riverside Park. The last portion of the 7K course will lead the runners down Jackson Street and onto the redeveloped RiverWalk where runners will finish the race with beautiful views of the St. Johns River, the Downtown skyline, and three of the seven Jacksonville bridges. The Community First Hale & Hearty7K will finish at the Riverside Arts Market under the Fuller Warren Bridge.
Community First Hale & Hearty 1 Mile Fun Run
Immediately following the 7K race, children (13 & under) will enjoy running in a 1 Mile Fun Run starting under the Fuller Warren Bridge at the Riverside Arts Market. They will run down the scenic RiverWalk along the St. Johns River toward the Jacksonville Landing. The runners will turn around and finish the race under the Fuller Warren Bridge at the Riverside Arts Market.
Enjoy Your Early Afternoon at Riverside Arts Market
After the race, stay awhile and enjoy the featured works of up to 160 artists, musical entertainment, street performers, food vendors, and a fresh produce market! RAM offers a dependable and affordable marketplace for artists to sell their artwork in a delightful environment that serves as an inexpensive weekend storefront for their creative efforts. Come by foot, bike, car, boat, or Riverside Trolley.
Connecting the 7K to Riverside's Local Economy
While the Communiy First Hale & Hearty7K is a fundraising event for the Health Planning Council, we want to honor Riverside's local economy by increasing exposure and customer foot traffic to Riverside's retail, museums, arts, restaurants & outdoor markets. Each race participant upon registration will voluntarily submit their cell phone number into a text messaging system. After runners pass mile markers placed throughout the race course, they will receive a text message rewarding them with a randomly selected coupon for one of the local Riverside establishments.
