Discover Whitewater Series, entering its fourth year, continues to grow
By Heather Ruenz
Staff Writer
An event that was created to market Whitewater as a great community while raising money for five local charity partners has taken off running, literally.
The fourth annual Discover Whitewater Series Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K run/walk and Fit Kids Shuffle will be held Sunday, Sept. 18 and is on track to reach its 10-year goal of becoming a major, regional event that attracts 2,000 participants.
“Last year we had 717 participants. If we continue the current registration pace we should reach 800 this year. The number of participants has steadily increased each year and we’re one of only two races in Wisconsin this year endorsed by CARA,” Jeff Knight, executive director of DWS said.
To be endorsed as a Chicago Area Runners Association race is no easy task, Knight said. It needs to have adhered to and upheld CARA’s Best Practices Guidelines regarding quality, safety and comfort for the participants in a road race.
“We have to reapply and get recertified every year. The first year we were an emerging CARA race, years two and three we were endorsed, and this year in addition to being endorsed we’re also green certified,” he said, adding that the race is also United States Track and Field certified.
“The course has been described by runners as challenging but beautiful and many will return for their fourth year. Many people will tell you it’s one of the best runs, with the best volunteers, out there and a survey after last year’s event showed a 98 percent satisfaction rate,” Knight said.
He said the Greater Whitewater Committee, which endorses the DWS, “feels strongly about highlighting the positive attributes of the community and taking on challenging events.” The GWC is made up of the largest businesses and developers in Whitewater. In addition to endorsing the race, the committee covers the initial costs and provides staff to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.
One of the committee’s proudest achievements from the DWS are the financial contributions given to five local charity partners each year, according to Knight.
“The last three years has resulted in $77,000 being presented to Bethel House, W-3 Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, the Whitewater Unified School District’s enhanced academic excellence programming, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater athletic department and the Whitewater Aquatic Center,” he said.
Earlier this year the Whitewater Aquatic Center was taken over by the city so the decision was made to give their portion of the proceeds to the J-Hawk Swim Team, another community endeavor.
“One of the key ingredients is that all the charity partners provide key leadership members and volunteers for planning as well as assistance with the event,” Knight said.
Family-friendly event
Offering things many half marathons typically don’t in an effort to make the DWS a family-friendly event, was also a goal from the start. The Fit Kids Shuffle, open to kids 12 and younger and handled by members of W-3 Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, is one example of that.
“There’s nothing better, truly, than seeing the smiles on the faces of those kids as they line up for their race. And it’s great because it allows entire families to participate,” Knight said.
The DWS also offers free day care, the Kids Korral – certified and run by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s School of Education – for younger children or those who don’t participate in the Fit Kids Shuffle.
All of the kids events offered are free of charge including a bouncy-house and face-painting.
Safety a key element
The DWS has a medical team overseen by Dr. Ken Kidd and features medical staff on bikes riding throughout the half marathon, Knight said. However, since most of these marathon runners take adequate preparations months before the race, not many require assistance. Some of these runners have built their overall stamina and lung capacity by finishing their weekly running goals. Following a healthy diet and taking supplements like nac 600 mg is said to be part of the training.
The Command Center, provided by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, is also manned by the City of Whitewater Fire and Rescue Department and allows constant communication between the center, water stations and medical staff who are out on the course.
“There are eight stations along the course for assistance, if needed, and 15 water and/or Gatorade stations. At about Mile Marker 7, there is a station with energy gels available and at the finish line there is a variety of recovery food including bars, bananas, milk, water, drinks and cheese,” Knight said.
The race is run on the streets and in its three years in the running thus far, has never had an issue.
“We receive tremendous support from the City of Whitewater and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater police departments along with the Walworth and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Departments who manage the road closures for us,” he said.
A grander finish
A major change this year is that the finish line was moved so it’s now located directly in front of the grandstands. The Fit Kids Shuffle will also end in that area.
“One thing the surveys revealed last year was people wanted the awards ceremony closer to the finish line. To move that meant recertifying the course but it made sense to do so,” Knight said. The post-race events have also been moved for this year and will be held at 841 Brewhouse, off-site from the DWS, as a place to gather following the race.
The purse race provides cash prizes to the top three men, women and overall board finishes in each age category of which there are 72 overall, Knight said.
Everyone who finishes the half marathon, 5K and Fit Kids Shuffle will receive a collector’s medal designed by the DWS team. Each participant will receive a T-shirt.
“We also were encouraged to award something special from Whitewater to the top finishers so Coburn Pressworks custom-designed and donated special glasses for first, second and third place,” he said.
In addition to 60 sponsors that pay a portion of the costs for the DWS, Knight said there are 20 in-kind sponsors.
“Chartwells offers the free dinner the night before, the Kiwanis offer a free breakfast the morning of, 841 Brewhouse offers beer post-race, the Whitewater Aquatic Center, a day pass after the race, advertising and so on,” he said.
While Knight boasts about all of the facets of the DWS, rightfully so given its success thus far, he always comes back to the community-wide efforts.
“This entire community puts on this amazing event, from the 400-plus volunteers to the businesses and individuals that sponsor it in some capacity to the help from the charity partners. Not to mention people that line the streets to ring bells and cheer on the runners,” Knight said.
“We did our research at the beginning and talked with those who run other events as well as runners, to make this the best race – and event – possible. I think we’ve done that,” he said.
Mark your calendars
The 4th Annual Discover Whitewater Series Run. Walk. Fun. Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K and Fit Kid Shuffle will be held Sunday, Sept. 18.
For more information, to register or to volunteer, visit www.RunWhitewater.com, contact Jeff Knight, executive director at (920) 728-0662 or jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or Jolene Sell, race director, at (920) 419-6931 or info@runwhitewater.com.
