New courses set for Toad Suck Daze Run
CONWAY — The 34th annual Toad Suck Daze 5K/10K Run, set for May 6, will feature new race courses.
The event will begin and end at John McConnell Stadium at Conway High School.
Over the years, the race has raised nearly $390,000 for local charities. Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit a variety of local nonprofits: the Boys & Girls Club of Faulkner County, Conway Athletics, Haven and Miracle League Braves Field.
The event includes a 10K Run, a 5K Run, a 5K Fun Walk and Tadpole Trot races. The 10K is a Road Runners Club of America Arkansas Grand Prix race.
Online registration will end at noon May 5. Online and mail registrants can pick up a racing packet, a number and a timing chip from 4-7 p.m. May 4 and 5 at The Sporty Runner in Downtown Conway, or the morning of the race at the field house at John McConnell Stadium.
Chip-timing technology will be used in the run. Participants must wear a race chip to get an official time. Participants registering after 7:30 a.m. on race day will not receive a timing chip and will not be timed.
The Tadpole Trot will start on the Conway High School track about 9:45 a.m. (after the 5K and 10K events) and will include races for children ages 4-12. Kids ages 4 through 8 will run a half lap, ages 9-10 will run one lap, and ages 11-12 will run two laps (one-half mile). The first-, second- and thirdplace finishers in each Tadpole Trot will receive trophies, and all other entrants will receive a ribbon.
The school with the largest percentage of registrants (based on enrollment) in the Tadpole Trot will be presented with a traveling trophy and $200 for the school’s physical education department.
The entry fee for the 10K and 5K events is $25 until noon May 5, when it goes up to $30. Entrants who preregister in the 5K and 10K races will receive a technical shirt. The Tadpole Trot registration is $10, which includes a cotton T-shirt. Free refreshments will be provided for all entrants.
Additional shirts can be purchased after 8 a.m. the day of the race at the field house.
The Conway Kiwanis Club is the main organizer of the event, which is supported by the Conway Running Club and the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau, and sanctioned by the Arkansas chapter of the Road Runners Club of America.
The Toad Suck 10K was started by the Conway Kiwanis Club in 1982 and held in conjunction with the Toad Suck Daze Festival. In 1984, First National Bank of Conway (now Regions) began a race in memory of a fellow employee, Randy Baker, who died of cancer. The Randy Baker 8K was conducted for two years, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.
In 1986, the Conway Kiwanis Club approached Regions Bank, and the two races were combined. The Toad Suck Daze Run continues to be in memory of Randy Baker, with proceeds benefiting nonprofit agencies in the Faulkner County community.
The Toad Suck Daze Run partners with Literacy Action of Central Arkansas, which sponsors the Tour de Toad bicycle event, which also takes place May 6. Participants who complete the Toad Suck Daze Run (5K or 10K) and Tour de Toad will receive a custom Iron Toad medal.
For more information or to register for the Toad Suck Daze Run, visit toadsuckrun.com. For information on Tour de Toad, visit literacyactionar.org/tourdetoad.