Opportunities

Who will become The Eurekan? Who will become the Half-Eurekan?

Eureka Springs is the place to be this weekend for runners, riders and swimmers. All can compete in a multisport festival dubbed The Eurekan.

The festival crams four events into three days.

First up is a triathlon Friday at the Holiday Island Recreation Center, 13 Buckskin Lane, Holiday Island. Saturday is bike day with a multitude of rides and races of various distances, all beginning at Victoria Inn, 4028 E. Van Buren St. in Eureka Springs. Finally, Sunday is for the runners, with a 5K, 10K and 1 Mile Fun Run, all beginning at the Eureka Springs City Auditorium and Courthouse, 44 S. Main St.

These events can be taken individually, but for the truly dedicated (deranged?) endurance athletes, there is a package deal referred to as “The Eurekan.” Competing for the title entails completing certain events each day.

For The Eurekan, the triathlon at 2 p.m. Friday has a 300-yard swim, a seven-mile bike ride and a two-mile run that must be completed in 1½ hours or less. At 7 a.m. Saturday, participants must complete the 100mile ride in 9.5 hours. At 7:45 a.m. Sunday, The Eurekan qualifier is the 10K, which also has a 1½-hour time limit.

There is also a “Half Eurekan,” which still involves doing Friday’s triathlon but “only” a 62-mile ride Saturday and a 5K Sunday.

The minimum age to try for the full or Half Eurekan is 16, and organizers say, “No exceptions.”

Online registration is available until Thursday. Doing The Eurekan costs $175, and the Half Eurekan costs $140. Competitors in the full or half must have a USA Triathlon license. A one-event license can be bought for $15 at registration (annual licenses cost $50).

Individual events are priced separately, and some also require racing licenses. Helmets must be worn during any cycling event.

Packet pickup and late registration will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Inn of the Ozarks, 207 W. Van Buren St. This will be the absolute last chance to register for the triathlon or The Eurekan.

Another packet pickup will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Holiday Island Recreation Center. Other individual event registration deadlines and packet pickups are listed with the full schedule and online registration at eurekasportsfestival.com.

The awards ceremony for all events will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Eureka Springs City Auditorium and Courthouse, with refreshments and door prizes for attendees.

Run With the Son 5K

The Run With the Son 5K will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church of Little Rock, 12400 Interstate 30.

Online registration costs $25. A one-mile fun run will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, and a 100-yard tottrot for ages 2 to 5 will begin at 9:30. The fun run and the tot trot are $10 each. Race-day registration will cost an extra $5.

Packet pickup will be from noon to 6 p.m. Friday at the church. Proceeds benefit local ministries Breaking the Chains and John 3:16.

For online registration go to gsfbc.org/run.

Hope Watermelon 5K

The Hope Watermelon Festival is Thursday through Saturday. There will be music, a car show, a baggo tournament and a 5K.

The 5K will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Fair Park, 800 Mockingbird Lane in Hope. The starting line is on the eastern edge of the park at Fulton Street and Park Drive.

Online registration is available until Friday for $25. Kids can register for the Melon Mile for $8. It begins after the 5K at about 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

The course is USA Track & Field certified, and this is the 12th race in the 2017 Arkansas RRCA Grand Prix.

Racers will find showers, swimming and watermelon after their run.

For more information, visit hopewatermelonfest.com. To register for the 5K, visit runsignup.com and search for “Hope Watermelon 5K.”

479 Bash & Dash 5K

The 479 Bash & Dash 5K will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, benefiting and beginning at the American Cancer Society, 5434 W. Walsh Lane in Rogers.

Online registration is available until Thursday for $30. A one-mile fun run begins at 7:45 a.m. Saturday for $15.

Packet pickup will be during a family-centered block party, with food and entertainment from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the cancer society office.

Awards will be given three-deep to the fastest male and female runners overall and by age group. All participants in the fun run will receive a participation medal.

For online registration, visit bit. ly/bashdashrun.

Little Rock Marathon

Registration for the 2018 Little Rock Marathon (which will again be the first weekend in March) opened Tuesday.

Marathon registration currently costs $90, and the first price increase will be Oct. 14. For comparison purposes, a last-minute registration for the marathon at the Health and Fitness Expo (provided there are any left to be had) will cost $150.

Organizers released their annual theme-revealing video via Facebook on July 27. There was a bit of confusion over whether the theme was generically medieval or specifically Monty Python and the Holy Grail, because the video made direct Holy Grail references. Be assured: The official theme is medieval — castles, knights, dragons.

To figure out the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow or to sign up for the free training program, visit littlerockmarathon.com.