Running festival set for Wakefield Park

The kids’ run at the 2017 Mason District Running Festival.

Running coach Bernard Pesjak, the founder of running festivals at Mason District Park in 2016 and 2017, is planning a similar event for March 31 at Wakefield Park in Annandale.

The Rise Run Shine Running Festival is aimed at “encouraging locals to live active and healthy lives and raise funds for a non-profit,” Pesjak says. As in the most recent Running Festival, the event will benefit Shelter House, an organization that serves homeless families and victims of domestic abuse.

The event includes a six-hour run starting at 8 a.m., a three-hour run at 8 a.m., a 5K at 9 a.m., a kids’ fun run at 10 a.m., and another 5K at noon.

Runners can register online for the Rise Run Shine Running Festival. Pesjak is also seeking sponsors. If you’re interested, contact him at b[email protected].

The Mason District Running Festival in September, drew 110 runners and raised $725 for Shelter House. The sponsors included West Springfield Dental Arts, Dama Ethiopian Restaurant, PR Performance Fitness, and Athletic Equation.