Ahoy Matey – The Pirates are Coming!
The Ned Tyson Memorial Pirates on the Run 5K/10K is Amelia Island’s own “Run Like a Pirate Day” and it is on Saturday, February 6, 2016, in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida. This is one of the most colorful running and walking events arrrrrrrrround! 5K/10K START 8:30 A.M.
REGISTRATION & FEES
5K $30.00 or 10K $35.00 per person through Jan. 20, 2016; 5K $35.00 or 10K $40.00 per person from Jan 21 through Feb 5th. Day of Race is $40.00 for 5K or $45.00 for 10K. (AIR members can deduct $5.00 – join the club and save!) Check your email for the active.com password for OR email rehaslip@comcast.net for the password.
SCENIC COURSE WITH A CROSS-COUNTRY SEGMENT THROUGH EGAN’S CREEK GREENWAY FREE POST-RACE PANCAKE BREAKFAST ($5 FOR NON-REGISTERED GUESTS) TECHNICAL T-SHIRT GUARANTEED FOR EARLY REGISTERED RUNNERS MARDI GRAS BEADS FOR FINISHERS
RACE HQ:
ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
801 ATLANTIC AVE. FERNANDINA BEACH
5K/10K courses START AND FINISH at St. Peter’s Church, Atlantic Ave. at 9th Street. Members of the Fernandina Pirates Club in full costume will be handing out Mardi Gras beads! .
NO STROLLERS, dogs or headphones in the 5K/10K.
Be aware that there will be traffic on the course, except inside the Greenway. (The 10K route will cross a road with traffic, out-and-back.)
Walkers are welcome and encouraged to enter the 5K. Please walk on sidewalks whenever possible.
RUNNERS’ 5K/10K AWARDS
Overall Male and Female Winners in each race will win a pair of running shoes courtesy of Current Running. Masters and GrandMasters Awards and 3-Deep Male and Female Age Group Awards: age 3-10, 11-13, 14-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75+
Pre-Registration: 3 Choices! Register on Active.com. Registration on Active.com closes Wednesday, Feb 4th, 2016. You may also drop off entries at Current Running, (815 S. 8th St.) through Feb 5th. Finally, you may also mail entries to Amelia Island Runners, P.O. Box 15322, Fernandina Beach, FL 32035. Day of Race Registration: Begins at 7:00 a.m. at St Peter’s Church. NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 8 a.m. THE DAY OF THE RACE. Please register early. You must wear a chip on your shoe to be included in the race results.
Race Packet/Number Pick-up: All pre-registered runners can pick up packets at Current Running on Friday, Feb. 5, from noon to 6 p.m. Race packets can also be picked up at St Peter’s on race day beginning at 7:00 a.m. Chips will be provided at packet pickup.
Proceeds Benefit: Amelia Island Runners’ youth scholarships and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church mission trips.
FOLLOW THE SIGNS TO DESIGNATED RACE PARKING with major parking at Central Park, across the street at the Nassau School Board and at Citizens State Bank across from St. Peter’s.
The Ned Tyson Memorial Pirates on the Run 5K/10K is presented annually by the Amelia Island Runners club. It is walked and run in memory of Ned Tyson, who came up with the idea for the event.
“The first race was run in 2004, and it was scheduled in February because it was a quiet time on the island and we hoped to grow it into a regional event, when families might spend a night or two and visit the downtown area,” said Fernandina Beach City Manager Joe Gerrity. Tyson, Gerrity and Steve Nicklas organized the inaugural 10K run, with “help from many volunteers,” Gerrity said.
“The next year Ned wanted us to have a Super Bowl-sanctioned event” in conjunction with the Super Bowl being held in Jacksonville, Gerrity said. “The process was very difficult, since each event had to get approval from the Super Bowl committee,” which was an involved process. “We finally did get approval and the Super Bowl emblem appeared on the t shirt that year.”
“As the race grew, it really became too much for us to handle since we all worked full time, so we asked Amelia Island Runners if they would be interested in sponsoring the run. I guess the rest is known history!,” Gerrity said. The event has grown into a 5K/10K with hundreds of runners and walkers.
Ned Tyson died in 2010, and the race was subsequently named in his honor.
Register at Active.com or visit AmeliaRunners.com for more information.