Burien and surrounding communities have banded together to
create the
Cove to Clover Race with the support of local community businesses,
like
Burien Toyota.
This year’s race will be held on April 28. There will be a
shoe swap to benefit low-income youth held April 19 and dinner held April 27
(more on those below). The Cove to Clover Race includes a
5k, 10k,
“Snakezilla”half marathon, and
Wee Race (one mile) for kids.
“This is a labor of love,” said John Nelson, Cove to Clover
Race Director. “We are focusing on getting kids outdoors away from devices.
Outdoors is way more fun than an iPhone. [The Cove to Clover Race] is about
bringing four different communities together to do something good.”
Now in its fifth year, the Cove to Clover Race is an
all-encompassing event with a shoe swap to provide lightly used shoes to low-income
students, a carbo-load dinner the night before the race, and a fully supported 5K race, 10K race, half
marathon, and one mile run/walk for kids (parents are encouraged to walk/run
with their children). Because Cove to Clover has no paid staff, all funds
raised by the race…yes 100 percent…are redistributed to local charities like
the local food bank, the
Highline School Foundation, and Hospitality House.
Also supported is Cove to Clover’s outdoors skills program for underprivileged
youth.
According to the Cove to Clover Race website, “The Cove to
Clover event has evolved and is a truly grass-roots production. The race was
originally organized by a group of friends with the mission of producing a
professional and fun event that showcases the Highline community at its best.
What’s evolved has been an exercise in positive cooperation among many
entities: government, businesses, non-profits, schools and neighbors.”
Nelson admits that because Cove to Clover is, in fact,
raising money for other charities instead of itself, it takes some of the
stress off of needing to achieve a specific monetary amount and is simply a
project of passion to help the community. With many different local sponsors, including
Burien Toyota as title sponsor, and lots of community support, Nelson hopes the
Cove to Clover Race can become an anchor in the community where people return
year after year and bring their friends.
Who benefits? The children and adults of Burien, Des Moines,
SeaTac, and Normandy Park. Nelson believes that banding together to support
events like the Cove to Clover Race, whether as a sponsor, participant, or
donor, will make the community better.
“When we suffer together, it brings us together,” said
Nelson. “When we suffer as a community, when we try to make it up that hill, we
might walk up the hill, but we will make it.”
Whether you want to run or not, there are lots of ways to
get involved in addition to registering for the
5K, 10K, or
Wee Race.
Snakezilla Half
Marathon
While the Cove to Clover Race has been around since 2009,
this is the first year for the
Snakezilla half marathon. According to the website, you’ll
get a finishers medal when you complete your run and survive “snake hill.” In
addition to registering on the website, there is also information on how to
double your donation with corporate matching, including Boeing.
Become an Angel
Cove to Clover wants children of all income levels to get
involved in the Cove to Clover Race. You can sponsor a child or multiple
children simply by going to the website and registering for the race as an
Angel. It only costs $10 per student and your donation can be directed to a
school of your choice.
Shoe Swap: now
until April 19
There are many young people in our community who need
athletic shoes so they can safely and comfortably participate in the Cove to
Clover Race and other athletic activities. Bring your old, but lightly worn,
running shoes to the Normandy Park Athletic Club (located at the Normandy Park
Town Center) until April 19 for the
shoe swap! Youth who need shoes can come to the Normandy Park
Town Center 5-9pm on April 19 to find the pair of running shoes right for them.
Snake Pit Dinner: 6-9pm, Saturday April 27
While carbo-loading before any athletic event is important,
the
Snake Pit Dinner is more than your typical spaghetti dinner. For $15
(adults) or $5 (12 and younger), diners will get a homemade pasta dinner
“prepared by a wonderful volunteer group of Italian mothers from our community
who care about what goes on your plate. Expect a serious dish of pasta and
complimentary glass of wine.”
Not only will you get your carbo-load on, you will be
entertained with live music (a little Frank Sinatra sung by Joe Jewell) and
there will even be a petting zoo sponsored by “A Place for Pets” to keep the kids entertained while you savor
your meal. You will leave the Snake Pit Dinner with a picture of python around
your neck and a nifty Snake Brand wristband!
And the best part is all proceeds
from the Snake Pit Dinner go to the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Youth
Scholarship fund.
“Our goal is to get lots of kids
running and raise money for local charities,” Nelson said. “We couldn’t do it
without Burien Toyota and Burien Chevrolet. I want to give a big thank you to
Toyota because they were involved with Cove to Clover even before it was a big
deal.”
If you are interested in
participating in the Cove to Clover Race as a runner, Angel, organizer of a
fundraising team, or sponsor, go to their website at
www.covetocolver.com. If you have
questions, contact Race Director John Nelson at
jonelson@covetoclover.com.
