What a wonderful way to kick off the Wilton Go Green Festival on Sunday, May 1 than with a 5K that benefits the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT). And GOOD Morning Wilton is thrilled to be media sponsor for the race.
The first ever NRVT May Day 5K is being organized by Wilton’s own Outdoor Sports Center, and will help support healthy living throughout the community. The Wilton Go Green (WGG) Festival is an annual community event dedicated to celebrating conservation and sustainability, and is held to help educate the community how to practice these principles and take better care of our planet.
Along those lines, the NRVT MAY DAY 5K is a green race, and all materials used to promote and put on this event will be recyclable.
Hosting the 5K was a natural fit for Outdoor Sports Center, owned by brothers Scott and Will Maxwell. Will is excited about launching the event and what it means for the community.
“My brother and I have always felt that we could participate in the Wilton Go Green festival in a more meaningful way than to just have a table talking about our shop. We wanted to make the effort to take action and make a change in our community, however small that change might be. For us, being a running store, the best we could think to do was to start a 5K to raise money for a good cause. After seeing the success of the Norwalk River Valley Trail in Wilton, with so many people enjoying the trail every day, we decided that there was no better partner to team up with. The trail is making a tangible difference; we now have a very usable recreational attraction that we didn’t have a few years ago. Because of the contributions of private Wilton citizens, this trail is enjoyed by hundreds of people every week, and it is only getting better. We want to call attention to the fact that it will not take much more money to complete the Wilton Loop, a few hundred dollars per family is all. This trail connects most of our open spaces, and offers town center a fresh new attraction. NRVT is changing our town in a big way, we want everyone to be part of that.”
The race will mainly involve running on the Norwalk River Valley Trail, starting and finishing at the Wilton Go Green Festival main area in the Wilton Library parking lot. The course proceeds through Merwin Meadows Park on the Norwalk River Valley trail to the Wilton High School and back. The course runs mostly on a wide gravel and dirt path that is relatively flat, with small sections of road included as well. Timing and results will be provided by Club Connecticut.
The race will start at 10:30 a.m. and the WGG Festival will officially start at 11 a.m.. For more information and to register now, visit the May Day 5K website. Businesses interested in being a sponsor and individuals interested in volunteering can email Will Maxwell.
The Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Rd., and parking for the event and 5K will be at the Wilton River Park Shopping Center.