VIRGINIA BEACH – The city’s Resort Advisory Commission is backing a franchise agreement to bring weekly 5K races to the boardwalk this summer.
J&A Racing, host of theYuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend and other races, is applying for a $1,500 franchise agreement with the city to host the weekly events. The 8 a.m. races would begin at 31st Street, go to 10th Street and loop back to 31st Street. Participants would pay a $25 fee.
“We always like to try pilots first before we make something permanent, so we’ll see how it goes,” Resort Administrator Mike Eason said.
A trial slate of races would go from June 22 to August 10. The event would be evaluated after that to determine if it would continue.
Bill Gambrell, president of Virginia Beach Restaurant Association, said at the Resort Advisory Commission meeting that the races would give visitors something different to enjoy. Each participant would get a beach towel and a medal.
The races will accommodate about 160 people; they would cater to vacationers who follow strict exercise regimes or those who just want to remain active on vacation, Eason said.
“Some people, they constantly run. They have to run every day,” he said. “This is just an opportunity for them to do that.”
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