Registration now open for 5th annual 'Run With the Rapids' 5K

Registration is now open for the fifth annual "Run with the Rapids" 5K, on Saturday, May 18, in downtown Niagara Falls. This USA Track & Field-sanctioned race benefits the Downtown Niagara Falls Business Association. Race registration and post-race party will be held on Old Falls Street, USA. Check-in time is from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m., with a race start time of 9 a.m. The post-race party runs until noon.

Interested participants may register online at www.score-this.com. Registration forms can also be downloaded at www.FallsStreet.com and hand delivered or mailed with payment to 101 Old Falls St., Niagara Falls, NY 14303. Pre-registration price for a single participant is $25, or $45 for a pair or runners (two people only). Onsite race registration is $30 per person.

The unique course, certified accurate by the USA Track & Field Association (course No. NY11005JG), showcases a view of the recent developments in downtown Niagara Falls, along with a scenic view of the upper Niagara River rapids. The race will start on the corner of Third and Old Falls streets and guides the participants through the Buffalo Avenue Heritage District, along a portion of the Robert Moses Parkway to a view of the upper rapids while finishing the race by running through downtown and finishing on Third Street.

Seasoned and amateur participants are encouraged to attend.

Returning this year will be chip timing by Score This! Runners will receive electronic devices to insert in their shoes, which will be able to compute finish times to thousandths of a second.

"This fundraiser grows in attendance each year, and is the official kick-off of the 2013 Old Falls Street summer season," said Global Spectrum's Ryan Coate, general manager of Old Falls Street, USA, and DNFBA chairperson. "Visitors and residents alike will enjoy the course as it highlights the many new changes to our downtown landscape as well as the thunderous upper river rapids themselves."

The goal of the DNFBA is to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, with commercial, retail and residential development elements that will service several market segments and ultimately result in capturing more tourist visitation to downtown Niagara Falls.

For more information on the race, contact Dan Mezhir, race coordinator, at 716-278-2111 or [email protected].