Daffodil Run to Welcome More Than 1,000 Runners to Downtown Amherst

AMHERST — April is here, and soon cheerful daffodils will welcome more than 1,000 race participants to the eighth annual Daffodil Run 5K Walk/Run and 10K Run for CHD’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County. The race, to be held Sunday, April 29, will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and will include a brief closure of the portion of North Pleasant Street between Kendrick Park and Main Street in downtown Amherst.

Race participants are invited to arrive early to enjoy free coffee from Esselon, as well as a pre-race warm-up with fitness professionals from 50/50 Fitness/Nutrition. Family-friendly post-race festivities will include games such as tug of war, cornhole, hula-hooping with Hoop Joy, and more. There will be a bounce house for little ones, music, a barbecue (free to participants) put on by the Pub, and, new this year, food for sale from Bueno Y Sano and Flayvors of Cook Farm Ice Cream.

The Daffodil Run benefits CHD’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, providing support for the organization’s work in the community matching youth facing challenges with caring adult mentors. The friendships between mentor and mentee are supported by professional case managers, giving children and families added support as they navigate challenges ranging from everyday growing pains to those challenges faced by immigrants, single-parent households, or families in shelter, for example. Last year, the Daffodil Run raised nearly $60,000 and this year hopes to bring in $65,000 to provide more support to youth in the community and to reduce the number of children waiting for a mentor.

Runners and walkers can register online until Monday, April 23 at racewire.com, or visit www.chd.org/daffodilrun.  Race-day registration at Kendrick Park begins at 8 a.m. Prizes will be award to the first-, second-, and third-place runners in each gender category, as well as the top runner from each age category.