SOUTH DEERFIELD — Run, eat, repeat.
That’ll be the chain of events on Thursday, July 25, when Yankee Candle hosts the inaugural BIGGEST Little Road Race, a .5K eat and run (or walk) event.
“Yes, .5K — 546 yards, it’s the race for everyone” said Ericka Almeida, development director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, which the race will benefit.
The 546-yard race, held from 6 to 9 p.m. rain or shine, will feature an Adams Donuts stop, followed by a Hillside Pizza stop at the midway point. The race will finish inside the Yankee Candle Village Store where Brick & Feather Brewery will be pouring drinks and Ben & Jerry’s will be scooping ice cream. Yankee Candle will also be offering participants a 30 percent discount on most store items during the event.
“We love the irony of this race. It’s all-inclusive, we want everyone to be able to participate,” Almeida said. “It’s a win all around. You get to support a worthy nonprofit, eat local and shop local.”
Almeida said the staff at Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) based the .5K on a similar event they heard about in Texas. However, the Texas version featured more alcohol- and smoking-themed checkpoints, which BBBS revised to make it welcoming for both children and adults.
Tickets for the event are $25 per person and $15 for children ages 12 and under. For $30, participants can choose the “underachiever” option, as it is called — skip the run and have their doughnut, pizza and beer or ice cream served to them in the lounge area located along the race route.
Additionally, Almeida said Yankee Candle will be selling a special collection of BBBS-branded candles in various best-selling scents. The 22-ounce candles will be $25 each. All proceeds — from candle sales, .5K ticket costs and “underachiever” option ticket costs — will benefit BBBS.
“They’re being extraordinarily gracious,” Almeida said of Yankee Candle. “They’ve always been a big partner of ours, but this year they’ve really taken us under their wing.”
Almeida said she hopes the event will raise awareness about BBBS’ mentoring programs in a fun, community-oriented way. BBBS will have a booth set up where attendees can talk with “bigs” and “littles” (older mentors and their younger mentees).
“We’d love for (each participant) to come away with a full tummy and a better knowledge of what Big Brothers Big Sisters does in the community,” she said. “We’ve been here for 52 years. … That’s a big influence that trickles down through the generations.”
Specifically, Almeida said proceeds from the BIGGEST Little Road Race will help BBBS run its four mentoring programs: one between adults and children ages 6 to 18; two based at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Deerfield Academy that match juniors and seniors with children ages 6 to 11; and a recently launched intergenerational program that pairs senior citizens with children that is based at the John Zon Community Center.
Tickets and information are available through the Big Brothers Big Sisters website at bbbs-fc.org, or by phone at 413-772-0915. Almeida asks that those looking to sign up for the race do so by Wednesday, July 24.