Tuolumne, CA — The first annual Black Oak Challenge, a fun run that brought more than 100 participants to the Westside Pavilion Saturday morning, focused on fitness, fun, and community.
Participants took on a challenging 5K course featuring a number of obstacles, while kids and families joined in the Family Fun Run featuring their own, specially designed, obstacle course. The event received support from a number of local businesses, sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and community organizations. Special Olympics also participated at the event with athletes and volunteers. Black Oak Casino Resort presented the organization with a donation of $1500.00.
“The goal from the beginning was to create something different that would get our community outside, active, and having fun together.”, said Luis Torres, Marketing Director at Black Oak Casino Resort. “We intentionally made it more of a challenge than a traditional race. Participants could run it, walk it, take on the obstacles with friends and just enjoy the experience. Seeing people of different ages and fitness levels out there challenging themselves was exactly what we hoped for.”
The race kicked off in the cool of the morning, about 8 am, just after the National Anthem. Starting with the obstacles around the Westside Pavilion, participants ran, jogged or walked on a course around the main part of the facility. They were greeted at the finish line with smiles, cheers, medals and t-shirts.
Brady Day, Project Manager at TEDA stated that, “The Westside Pavilion gives us an incredible opportunity to create events that bring our community together and encourage people to get outside and be active. The Black Oak Challenge was a great example of how we can use this space in new and creative ways to promote recreation, healthy lifestyles and community involvement. Seeing families, kids and participants of all fitness levels out here enjoying the property was really rewarding.”
