UPTOWN — Runners can both honor Pride Week and raise money for good causes thanks to a pair of races scheduled this week in Uptown and Lincoln Park.
The annual Proud to Run 10K run and 5K run/walk kicks off Saturday morning at Montrose Harbor in Uptown. The 10K starts at 8:04 a.m. and the 5K starts at 8:15 a.m. Online registration is no longer available, but people can still register onsite for $45.
Last year's event registered more than 1,600 runners, according to organizers. The Proud to Run website boasts that the organization has raised more than $350,000 for local LGBT organizations since 1982.
The race's 2014 beneficiaries are About Face Theatre, which fosters dialogued about issues important to queer youth via plays; the Test Positive Aware Network, which targets some of Chicago's most underserved communities with STD testing; and the Night Ministry, which provides homeless and poor people with various services.
For folks who aren't too hot about waking up early on a Saturday for a race, the inaugural Pride 5K race targets "an evening crowd" and will start 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.
The event includes a post-race party near Diversey Harbor that features drinks and a gift bag.
Pride 5K organizer StarEvents' CEO John Barry anticipates a "party atmosphere" at the nighttime race.
"Races are typically on Saturday or Sunday mornings on the lakefront," he said earlier this spring. "Those are geared toward someone who wants to get up at 5 or 6 in the morning, park, run a race and get timed. ... This race is definitely more for an evening crowd that doesn't necessarily do this stuff much."
Runners will also be given Pride 5K limited edition T-shirts for participating.
The run will benefit Center on Halsted's new senior living facility, which is set to open this fall.
Organizers said registration for the Thursday race lasts as long as the T-shirts last.
For information about the Proud to Run races, click here. For more information about the Pride 5K, click here.
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