South Carolina Aquarium Turtle Trek

OVERVIEW

About Turtle Trek 5K

The South Carolina Aquarium Turtle Trek 5K, a sunset beach run and kids fun run, will take place Saturday, October 15 at Isle of Palms County Park. Runners are also invited to participate in a beach litter sweep prior to the run after picking up race packets!

Your support helps us care for sick and injured sea turtles in the Sea Turtle Care Center™, with the goal of rehabilitating each patient so they can make the journey home. 

About the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center

All seven species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered, four of which are found in South Carolina: loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green and leatherback. To help ensure that sea turtles have a future in our oceans, our Care Center aids sick and injured sea turtles in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). 

At the South Carolina Aquarium, animal care is more than a job — it’s a calling to help ensure sea turtles have a future in our oceans. When a sea turtle is found stranded or injured, SCDNR brings the animal to the Sea Turtle Care Center for treatment. Sea turtles arrive at the Care Center suffering from a variety of ailments, including debilitated turtle syndrome, predation and boat strike wounds, injuries from accidental interactions with fishing gear and even exposure to dangerously low temperatures. Our staff veterinarians diagnose each turtle and work with Care Center staff and volunteers to provide treatments and rehabilitative care. Patients are given IV fluids, antibiotics, vitamins and other medications. Based on the sea turtle’s condition, a variety of procedures may be performed, such as x-rays, CT scans or ultrasounds. Rehabilitated sea turtles are released home in hopes that they will become reproductive members of the sea turtle population.

To date, we have rehabilitated and released more than 355 sea turtles back into their natural habitats. With your support, we can continue efforts to sustain these species into the next century and beyond.

The Mission of the South Carolina Aquarium

Our mission is to inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research, and by providing an exceptional visitor experience. 

The South Carolina Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EVENT DETAILS 

WHAT

South Carolina Aquarium Turtle Trek 5K, a sunset beach run and kids fun run

WHEN

Saturday, October 15, 2022

3–5 p.m.:                     Packet pickup and beach sweep

4:30 pm.:                     Kids fun run

5 p.m.:                         5K beach run

5:30 p.m.:                    Awards celebration at The Windjammer

WHERE

Isle of Palms County Park, located at 1 14th Avenue, Isle of Palms, South Carolina

PARKING

$10 per vehicle at the county park or free with a CCPRC Gold Pass membership. Runners may also park at the public lot on Front Beach for $15 per vehicle.

WHY

Funds raised will support the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center and conservation efforts.

REGISTRATION 

In-person registration includes: Timed race entry, technical t-shirt, reusable race bag and decal

Kids fun run registration includes: Technical t-shirt, decal and participation ribbon

Remote registration for Turtle Trek 5K and kids fun run includes: Mailed technical t-shirt, reusable bag, decal and an emailed digital race bib

Awards and light refreshments will be distributed onsite following the run.

**Capacity is limited. We recommend registering early as this event will sell out!**

PRICING 

Early Bird (June 15­–July 5)

5K: $35

Kids fun run: $15

Remote runners: $35

Regular (July 6­–September 30)

5K: $40

Kids fun run: $20

Remote runners: $40

Late (October 1–October 15)

5K: $45

Kids fun run: $25

Remote runners: $45

In-person registration includes: Timed race-entry, technical t-shirt, reusable race bag and decal

Kids fun run registration includes: Technical t-shirt, decal and participation ribbon

Remote registration includes: Mailed technical t-shirt, reusable bag, decal and an emailed digital race bib

AWARDS 

Awards will be presented to the Top Three Overall *(male/female/non-binary) and Top Three in Age Categories (male/female/non-binary): 1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+. Participation ribbons will be presented to all kids fun run participants.

*For registration — a fourth option for participants to choose will be “Prefer Not to Identify (If this category is chosen, you acknowledge that you are not eligible for race awards.)”

BEACH SWEEP

We invite you to join us for a pre-run beach sweep after onsite packet pickup at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 15 at Isle of Palms County Park! The Aquarium will provide all clean-up supplies, including data sheets to identify the types of debris which is helpful in identifying solutions. All data will be entered into the Litter-Free Digital Journal, a project in the South Carolina Aquarium Citizen Science app!

FUNDRAISING 

Want to deepen your impact? Go the extra mile for our sea turtle patients and sign up to be a fundraiser! Check out our Turtle Trek Fundraising Toolkit to learn more about our current sea turtle patients and how you can help support them. We also have some turtley awesome prizes, too:

Individual Who Raise $250+

• Sea Turtle Guardian

Individuals Who Raise $500+

• Sea Turtle Guardian
• Two general admission tickets to the Aquarium

Individuals Who Raise $1,000+

• Sea Turtle Guardian
• Four general admission tickets to the Aquarium, plus a behind-the-scenes tour of the Great Ocean Tank (subject to availability, two–four weeks’ notice required)

REMOTE RUNNERS 

Run for the turtles, no matter where you are! Whether you’re running through your neighborhood, in your local park or even on a treadmill, you can still support sea turtles. Anyone can participate, and Turtle Trek 5K remote run can occur anywhere at any time between registration and October 15, 2022.

Remote runners have the option to self-time their run by using the Race Joy app or submitting their time through the RunSignup results page. Runners will be emailed a digital bib to use for timing. Don’t forget to share pictures and race time by tagging @southcarolinaaquarium on social media!

Remote runners who are registered before August 20, 2022 will receive a mailed t-shirt, reusable bag and decal on or before October 1, 2022. If runners register after August 20, they will receive a t-shirt, reusable bag and decal after October 1.  

PACKET PICKUP

Advance packet pickup will be held on Friday, October 14 at Half-Moon Outfitters at both the West Ashley and Mount Pleasant locations. More details to follow, and a third packet pickup location is being determined.  

Onsite packet pickup is Saturday, October 15 from 3–5 p.m. at Isle of Palms County Park and includes a pre-run beach sweep with Aquarium staff members.

POLICIES

We will follow local, state and federal COVID-19 guidelines, and more information will be announced as we approach the event date.

• Turtle Trek 5K registration is non-refundable.
• Turtle Trek 5K will be held rain or shine.
• T-shirts sizes are only guaranteed to participants that register on or before August 20, 2022 as size is available.
• Runners that are attending the in-person run will pick up their merchandise purchases (extra t-shirts, totes, hats) at packet pickup. Remote runners will receive their merchandise purchases (extra t-shirts, totes, hats) in the mail after October 14, 2022.
• Remote runner t-shirts and bags will be mailed; these items cannot be picked up at packet pickup.
• All proceeds benefit the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center.