The 21st annual NAACP George V. Tankard Jr. Memorial 5K Road Race/Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16. The starting time is 11 am. Runners or walkers will start at Ocean Park.
For kids 12 and under, a one-mile Fun Walk will start at 10:30 am from the Summercamp hotel, across from Oak Bluffs Harbor.
Registration for both the 5K Road Race and the Fun Walk takes place at Summercamp on Friday, Sept. 15, from 5 to 7 pm, and on the morning of the race from 9 to 11 am. The entry fee during the Friday evening registration is $20. Saturday morning it goes up to $25. Participants receive a T shirt and their race number when they register. The entry fee for the Fun Walk is $10. The road race is USA Track and Field–certified.
The first-place finishers in the men’s and women’s divisions will receive a trophy, and medals will be awarded in the various age categories. A special award will go to the oldest road race finisher over the age of 80, in memory of Abe Weintraub, who took up running at 80 and competed in many marathons and shorter races, including the NAACP MV 5K, before he retired from racing at age 98. All prizes will be presented at Summercamp after the 5K Race/Walk.
Proceeds from the event go to the NAACP Scholarship Fund, for which M.V. Regional High School and M.V. Public Charter School students are eligible.
The Vineyard chapter of the NAACP, founded in 1963, is the oldest civil rights organization on the Island, and is actively involved in supporting the Island community.
For more information, call Carrie Tankard at 508-693-2797.
