Registration is open for the Northern Nevada Wildfire Awareness Half Marathon and 5K Trail Run in Reno, hosted by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Living With Fire Program in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and Desert Sky Adventures. All proceeds from the race will be donated to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
The half marathon and 5K run is May 29, 8 a.m. - noon, at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St. in Reno. The race is limited to 300 participants. Cost is $40 and includes a tech t-shirt, goodie bag, finisher's medal, snacks and refreshments. To register or for more information, visit .
Participants will run through some of Nevada's most infamous wildfire fuels, and there will be a variety of fire engines and displays of educational information. The public is invited to come out and cheer on the runners, visit with firefighter representatives, and enjoy Nevada's beauty.
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to fallen firefighters' families and to firefighters injured in the line of duty. The proceeds of the race will help families travel to see firefighters who were injured while aiding another state; help the families of firefighters unable to work because they're still healing; and help the families of firefighters killed while working.
The race is part of activities for Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month in May, which is a collaborative effort by local, state and federal firefighting agencies, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and many others. This year's wildfire awareness message, "Create Unity, Fire-Adapt Your Community!" stresses that when community members work together to prepare for wildfire, they can more effectively reduce the wildfire threat.
Cooperative Extension's Living With Fire Program, which began in 1997, teaches homeowners how to live more safely with the wildfire threat. The program has received numerous national awards, and been credited with spurring actions that have saved many homes. For more information about Living With Fire, visit , or contact Sonya Sistare at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, sistares@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0271.
