WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
16 UCW MARCH 23 -29, 2022
DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Princi-
pal, WT Brown Elementary School.
COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom-
ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.
EVENTS
e All American Races include the
All American Half Marathon and a 5K,
which are now open to the public for
participation.
"is is a virtual event, and our
runners are able to run at any time
between now up until Tuesday, May
31," said Jennifer Fayson, Fort Bragg
MWR special events office. "Now that
it has gone virtual, they will be able to
run on their own and select the loca-
tion of their choosing, and we would
like for runners to know that the new
Liberty Park is available for them to
use."
e event is a morale booster and
community event. While it is usually
an in-person race, due to the current
82nd Airborne Division's Immedi-
ate Response Force Deployments to
Europe, virtual, seemed the way to go
for race planners.
"e purpose of the event is to bring
some morale to our families, soldiers,
veterans and members of our com-
munity," Fayson said. "Recently, it
was supposed to be an in-person
event with a half marathon and 5K;
however, due to various events go-
ing on, we transitioned it to a virtual
event."
e virtual event allows runners
freedom of venue and includes mail-
out swag.
"Winners now have an opportunity
to run a 5K or a half marathon at a
place of their choosing, and they will
submit the results to us, and we will
mail them an event shirt, half mara-
thon or 5K medal, and a commemo-
rative event bib," Fayson said.
e All American Races, formally
known as the All American Mara-
thon, held its inaugural event in 2014.
e marathon was a collaboration
between the City of Fayetteville and
Fort Bragg. It began as a marathon,
half marathon, and 5k.
In previous years, the marathon
and the half marathon started in
downtown Fayetteville, and runners
ran the All American Freeway onto
the installation and crossed the finish
line at the Main Post Parade Field.
"After the race going virtual in 2020
and 2021 due to the ongoing pandem-
ic, we felt this would be a good time to
make some changes," said Fayson.
"e transition to a loop course
that started and finished at the new
Liberty Park was one of the changes
that we were most excited about, and
we are looking forward to a return to
the in-person event in 2023."
Previously, the half marathon was
nicknamed "Mike to Mike."
At that time, the run started at the
iconic Iron Mike statue in front of the
Airborne & Special Operations Muse-
um in historic downtown Fayetteville
and passed the Iron Mike statue on
Fort Bragg located near the finish line
at the Main Post Parade Field.
ese virtual marathons are non-
competitive with no age group or
overall awards. Participation costs $40
per race.
Registration is going on now and
will run until May 31. Visit www.zip-
pyreg.com/online_reg/?e=1610, to
register, or call, 910-908-5977.
All-American runs go virtual
by DR. SHANESSA FENNER
A collection of registrants wait to begin the All American Marathon, 2017. The mara-
thon started at Fayetteville's Festival Park and allowed the event goers an opportu-
nity to run through the center of the historic portion of the city, passing the Airborne
and Special Operations Museum. (Photo by Pfc. Hubert D. Delany III, 22nd Mobile
Public Affairs Detachment)
Tickets
On
Tickets
On
Sale
NOW!
Sale
NOW!
Give
every
child
a
voice!
Give
every
child
a
voice!
For more info, or to purchase
tickets, visit CACFayNC.org or
the Crown Center Box Office.
Thank you to all our generous sponsors.
For a complete list, please visit CACFayNC.org.
Saturday,
April
9,
6-10pm
crown
Center
Ballroom
To
benefit
the
Child
Advocacy
Center
Your ticket purchase will help the CAC serve
approximately 700 child victims of abuse each year.
Rock Stars Champions for Children
