Ellisville 5K Approaches; City Warns of Street Closures by Bobwhite Park

Early registrations closed last night, but competitive runners and casual supporters alike can still participate in the 5k Race to be hosted by the City of Ellisville on Saturday.

Proceeds raised through the event will benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides full scholarships, grants, financial assistance, counseling and other services for the kids and family members of military personnel who died while serving.

The race will begin in Bluebird Park, which offers a course just more than 3 miles complete with inclines, hills and pathways that wind through Ellisville neighborhoods. The complete race route is available here.

City representatives said that between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, police may intermittently close parts of the street near Bobwhite Park southwest of Manchester and Reinke roads to give the right of way to runners.

"We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause," organizers wrote on the City of Ellisville website.

Race director Sherri Klekamp said the race drew about 150 participants last fall, which generated more than $3,500 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (or SOWF).

“And that was just for our second year, so it really wasn’t too bad," Klekamp said. "They were just really appreciative of the fact that we were raising money for the SOWF."

In fact, Klekamp said, a signifiant number of participants last year had family members in the military or were service members themselves.

Klekamp said organizers hope for twice as many runners this weekend.

“There really is no set goal, but we hope to double our numbers from last year.”