Folkmoot USA announces the 5th Annual

5K Run/Walk & Kid’s Fun Run

Saturday, July 31, 2010

8:00 am

 The Folkmoot 5K Run/Walk & Kid’s Fun Run (co-sponsored with Haywood County Parks & Recreation and Waynesville Parks & Recreation) will take place Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 8 am, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville, North Carolina. Once again, the race will utilize chip-timing for all runners through a scoring and timing company in addition to a constructed finish line.  

Participation in the 2009 race was up significantly compared to past years. Although the Folkmoot 5K is a relatively new race in the Western North Carolina region, the course is popular with runners. The start and finish lines are directly in front of the Folkmoot Friendship Center (FFC) on Virginia Avenue. The FFC is where over 300 international dancers and musicians are housed and fed during the eleven-day Folkmoot Festival, July 22 – August 1.

The Folkmoot 5K is operated by the nonprofit as a fundraiser to help support the Festival each year. Often some of the international Folkmoot performers participate in the run. This is a “walk-friendly” race open to people of all abilities who want to participate for the fun (and to support Folkmoot) but also caters to the serious runner. The Kid’s Fun Run is just for kids and takes place after the main event. 

5K Run/Walk Adult Registration and Fees:  Adults: $20 in advance, $25 on Race Day. Participants can register before July 31st at the Folkmoot USA offices or by emailing Catherine Crowe at ccrowe@folkmoot.com.  Every registered runner will receive a race t-shirt. 

Packet Pick-Up and Race Day Registration:  Packet Pick Up and Registration will start at 6:30am at the Start/Finish area. 

Awards:  Top 3 male/female overall and top male/female Masters will be awarded trophies. The first 3 male and female finishers in the 15 and under, 16-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79 and 80+ age groups will receive awards. 

Kids Fun Run:  $8 advance, $10 on Race Day. 1-Mile Fun Run for Ages 15 and under. All participants will receive a Race T-Shirt and finishers medal. 

Course:  USATF Certification # NC06050PH. The Folkmoot 5K is a loop course beginning in front of the Folkmoot Center on Virginia Ave. It will run through the town of Hazelwood on Hazelwood Avenue before turning right on Elysinia Avenue and right on Sulphur Springs Road. After this long gradual downhill, the course will turn right on Boyd Avenue and right on Brown Avenue. After a short climb up Brown Avenue the course turns left on Georgia Avenue and climbs gradually through the residential area. It finishes up back on Hazelwood Avenue providing a downhill return to the start/finish on Virginia Avenue. There will be water on the course at the 1.8 mile point. Each mile marker will be clearly marked with split times called out at every mile. 

Register by contacting Race Manager Scot Worley, 828-452-6789, or the Folkmoot Offices, 877-FOLKUSA (877-365-5872). Email ccrowe@folkmoot.com for an electronic registration form. 

Directions to the Folkmoot 5K--From South: (Sylva/Franklin) Take US 23/74 North to Exit 100 (Hazelwood Avenue) Turn right and follow Hazelwood Avenue through the stoplight to Virginia Avenue on right. Use the parking lot on corner next to Hazelwood Baptist Church. From North/East/West: (Asheville/Knoxville) Take I-40 to Exit 27 to Waynesville. Take US 23/74 South to Exit 100. Turn left on Eagles Nest Road. Follow through stoplight to stop sign at Hazelwood Avenue. Turn left and follow Hazelwood Avenue, through stoplight, to Virginia Avenue on right. Use parking lot on corner next to Hazelwood Baptist Church. 

The Folkmoot 5K is sponsored in part by: Evergreen Packaging, HomeTrust Bank, MedWest Health System, Best Buy, Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Pepsi, Waynesville Inn & Spa, Mast General Store, Smoky Mountain Living, United Community Bank, Smoky Mountain News, Old Town Bank, Volvo, Progress Energy, Clear Channel, Smoky Mountain Coffee Roasters and Rotary International. 

The Folkmoot 5K Run/Walk & Kid’s Fun Run is part of the two-week-long Folkmoot USA Festival, held on July 22 – August 1 in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Folkmoot is one of only two international folk festivals in the United States, where over 300 dancers and musicians from countries throughout the world travel to Waynesville, North Carolina for a two-week show. Traditional and authentic folk performances are scheduled with performers from Russia, Latvia, United Kingdom (Irish), Poland, Portugal, Peru, Switzerland, France and Jordan. More the 60 public and private performances take place throughout eleven counties during the festival.

Held for 26 consecutive years, Folkmoot is the State International Festival of North Carolina and is consistently designated “One of the Top Twenty Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. Folkmoot USA attracts 100,000 visitors to Western North Carolina and brings more than $4 million into the local economy each year.  

For more information, to purchase tickets and souvenirs, or to see a schedule of 2010 performances, go to www.FolkmootUSA.org or call 877-FolkUSA (365-5872). Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s International Festival, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Waynesville, North Carolina.