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We Love Homewood Day 5K at new location this year

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Lately, Nivada Spurlock has been drawing a lot of parallels between New York City and Homewood. There’s a Manhattan Street, a Broadway, a SoHo and a Central Park. 

A few years ago, she ran the New York City Marathon, which runs over five bridges and through five boroughs, celebrating each section of the city.

“If you think about the city of Homewood, we have that same thing,” Spurlock said. “We have Rosedale, Edgewood, Hollywood, SoHo and West Homewood. Those are our five boroughs.”

Just as the marathon celebrates New York City, she wants the We Love Homewood Day 5K to celebrate Homewood’s diversity and its neighborhoods. One day, she hopes to have a race that goes through all five “boroughs,” but for its first year it’s starting and ending in Homewood Central Park with a route through Edgewood.

The race will be held in place of the Spirit Scamper and for this year will not feature a fun run. 

The race shirt will say “I (heart symbol) HWD” just like the iconic shirts that say “I (heart symbol) NYC,” but other parts will be distinctly Homewood. Homewood cheerleaders will be at the start of the race and at the finish line. Small ensembles of Homewood High School band members will play at mile markers, and the Air Force JROTC will man a water stop. Proceeds from the registration fee will benefit the Homewood Patriot Band.

All ages can participate, but no dogs are allowed on the course.

“If you want to compete, that’s awesome, but if you have never done a 5K, we want you to do it too, even if you are a walker,” Spurlock said.

The race awards ceremony will be a part of We Love Homewood Day, at which Homewood Middle School teacher Steve Sills will DJ. Band members are hand-painting ceramic coaster awards provided by Do It Yourself Crafts. Trak Shak is the race’s biggest sponsor and will run the timing for it.

The course will feature a couple of hills, but nothing like the hill at Homewood High School everyone complained about on the Spirit Scamper route. The hill on Woodland is the biggest one you’ll face, Spurlock said.

“It’s really a celebration of a city, and we have the option to build the race to be bigger in the future,” Spurlock said.

Packet pickup for the race is Friday, May 1, from 3-6 p.m. at the Homewood Rec Center and on Saturday morning from 6:30-7:15 a.m. You can also register for the race at that time for a $35 fee but will not be guaranteed a shirt.

We Love Homewood Day 5K

Formerly the Spirit Scamper

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