Blessings in a Backpack 0.5k

THE BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK 0.5K IS SOLD OUT!

Packet Pickup

T-shirts and swag bags for the "Runners" and "VIPs" can be picked up on Friday, June 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Blessings in a Backpack headquarters at 4121 Shelbyville Road in the St. Matthews Pavilion next to Big Lots. Can't make it on Friday? No worries. Your t-shirt and swag bag will be waiting for you at the finish line on race day! (Note: We will ship the t-shirts and swag bags for the Virtual Participants at the end of June.)

Parking and All the Race Day Details

On Saturday, pull on up in an easy parking space in either the Lincoln Elementary School or Plumbers Supply parking lots (our thanks to these fab folks for their permission) or parallel park on a nearby street. 

Stroll down to the corner of Washington and Wenzel (in front of Naive and Pyro Gallery). At 10:30 a.m., we will begin stretching and carb loading together. (VIPs, you need to stretch too. It could be a strenuous tuk tuk ride.)

Then at 11 am., blam! we will be off, meandering down Washington Street to the finish line. It's going to be grand. And in the end, we shall party. Because we have earned it. 

We will sell beer at the post-race party, so be sure to bring an ID and cash or card! 

Festivities will be held rain or shine. If Mother Nature doesn't get her morning coffee and throws a fit, we'll move the shindig inside The Pointe at 1205 E. Washington. 

Virtual Participants Race Day Details

Follow @bib.louisville on Instagram. On Saturday, June 15, at 11 a.m., we'll go LIVE in our story at the Blessings in a Backpack 0.5K! Follow along as racers carb-load with doughnuts at the starting line, hydrate with coffee and CupCakes at the halfway point, and wave to the VIP tuk tuk as it rolls on by at the finish line. As a Virtual Participant, you'll celebrate at the post-party knowing that you went the full distance without even breaking a sweat! Your t-shirt, medal, and swag bag, including the highly coveted oval 0.5K sticker for your car, will be shipped to you the week of June 24.

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Join us for a day (actually more like 10 minutes) of glory, celebration, and participation medals while raising money for a great cause — Blessings in a Backpack!

The Inaugural Blessings in a Backpack 0.5k will be held at 11 a.m. on June 15, 2019. We will start at Wenzel and Washington Streets in Butchertown. The finish line and post-race party will be at The Pointe, located at 1205 E. Washington St., Louisville, KY 40206.

This will be very fun, tongue-in-cheek event that will lampoon the typical 5K. 

The Details

The Blessings in a Backpack 0.5K — that’s not a typo, our “race” is, in fact, only 546 yards — will incorporate all the typical race elements but without any of the training or effort. Think a 0.5K Euro-style sticker for your car, a hydration station at the halfway point that serves Heine Brothers’ Coffee and Hostess CupCakes, and a medical tent that may or may not be manned. At the finish line, celebrate with pizza from Butchertown Pizza Hall and dessert from Butchertown Grocery at a family friendly post-race party. 

The 0.5K is created for folks who are NOT ready to go the extra mile. In fact, they aren’t even willing to go a mile at all, and actually barely even a quarter mile... but they are willing to have fun and poke fun at themselves, while raising money to help Blessings in a Backpack feed hungry kids in Louisville on the weekends! 

• Get to the starting line early so you can stretch (0.3 miles is nothing to take too lightly) 
• At the halfway point (that's a whopping .15 miles in), enjoy Heine Brothers' Coffee and Hostess CupCakes for carb-loading and energy
• Celebrate at the finish line with music, pizza, and desserts at the family-friendly post-race party

(The starting line opens at 10:30 a.m.; race begins at 11 a.m. Post-party will close at 1 p.m.)

VIP Upgrade

• Don't feel like running? Don't think you can make it the full distance? Then you should be a VIP
• For an additional $25, you don't have to run! Hitch a ride on the official 0.5k shuttle — a tuk tuk from Bourbon City Cruisers. How awesome is that?!
• Obviously, VIPs are the most important because they have the money to buy their way into doing nothing. So we'll award you with a medal that says, "Winner." Oh yeah... We’re looking out for you, big spender
  
  

Goodies and Fun Stuff!

IF YOU WANT A T-SHIRT ON RACE DAY — AND WHO DOESN'T WANT ONE OF THESE BAD BOYS — YOU MUST REGISTER BEFORE JUNE 7, 2019. SHIRT SIZES ARE NOT GUARANTEED AFTER THIS DATE.

• All finishers will receive a pretentious oval Euro-style 0.5K sticker that you can attach to the rear window of your car to show everyone that a true athlete is behind the wheel
• T-shirts, of course
• Participation medals (everyone gets recognized for their achievements at this event, no matter how bad they are, because we are all about positivity and self-worth)
• Finish line photos
• Safety First! A possibly fully staffed, or not staffed at all, medical tent will be in place, you know, just in case
• Music at the finish line
• Post-”race” party at The Pointe
• And much more (as we think of things)

Corporate Teams

(six people per team)

Grab your besties, work wife, and wicked cool boss for a day (okay, it's more like 10 minutes) of glory, celebration, and comradery to raise money for Blessings in a Backpack! Everyone will take home a Blessings in a Backpack 0.5K swag bag and join in the post-race party. This is your chance to show the world that, even in the shortest of distances, teamwork makes the dream work! Corporate Teams will receive:

• Your logo on our event website
  
• Shout out at the event
• Option to include marketing materials in swag bags
• Six people per team

Virtual Participant

Can't make it to the "race?" It's okay... you can participate from the comfort of your couch! Virtual Participants will get a t-shirt, oval sticker, and medal just like everyone else so you can brag that you are a finisher of the 0.5K and no one will know any different. Plus, we'll send you a link to our Instagram page so you can watch the race live in our story.

Note: the registration fee includes the cost of shipping, and the swag will be shipped out in late June.

Sponsorship Opportunities

All the fun stuff aside, we are serious about the end result — to support Blessings in a Backpack’s Louisville programs. The money raised at this event will help send local kids home with backpacks full of food during the 2019/20 school year. And we'd really like your help! As a sponsor, your business will be associated with what we believe will be the funnest, coolest, and craziest event of the year. Levels start at $1,000 and include logo on marketing materials and swag, race entries, volunteer opportunities, and more!

Contact us below for more information.