Insurer donates 50 entries to ‘Root Beer Run’

To ensure that Central Oregon’s youngest residents have the opportunity to participate in fun and healthy outdoor events that encourage physical play, PacificSource Health Plans has donated 50 entry fees to the Little Hopper Root Beer Run in Bend on Saturday, June 20, as part of the yearlong Kids Rock the Races series.

To receive a free entry, parents just have to enter promotional code PS2016KidsRock when registering their child or children on the event website. The first 50 registrants to use the code will have their race fee waived. Registration for the Little Hopper Root Beer Run on June 20 is available at biteofbend.com/root-beer-run.

Held in conjunction with the popular Bite of Bend’s 5K Beer Run, the Little Hopper Root Beer Run takes place at downtown Bend’s Troy Field, where participants will run the course while building the key components of a root beer float. Races begin at noon with heats for ages 3-4, ages 5-7, and ages 8-10, with an award ceremony and the chance to hang out and enjoy their root beer floats immediately following each age group.

“Exposing kids to the benefits of physical activity in a fun and friendly environment at a young age is exactly in line with PacificSource’s mission to improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Alexa Shook, Health Promotion and Wellness Director for PacificSource. “We believe the opportunity to participate in the excitement of a race should be extended to all children, regardless of ability to pay.”

The Little Hopper Root Beer Run is an untimed, noncompetitive event. The run is part of the seven-event Kids Rock the Races series held all year long in Bend that includes kid-friendly obstacle course events and running distances. In total, PacificSource Health Plans is donating 350 free entries in the form of 50 entries to each of the seven 2016 Kids Rock the Races events.

In addition to the Little Hopper Root Beer Run on June 20, the remaining 2016 Kids Rock the Races events include:
Kids Splash-N-Dash (Deschutes Dash), July 16
Balloon Blast Kids Race (Balloons Over Bend), July 23
Little Monster Miler (Monster Dash), October 9