Hume Pack-N-Cool’s third annual free Fun Run & Walk in Katikati is coming up in July – with a new 10km course option.
Hume Pack-N-Cool external operations manager Aimee Barker-Gilbert said the July 4 event would again be open to all ages, offering participants the chance to walk or run either 5km or 10km.
Barker-Gilbert said this year there is a new 10km course, which will see the 10km runners and walkers extend on from the 5km course down Park Rd and back along the bird walk before heading back to the Katikati War Memorial Hall.
She said the event’s start and finish line would be at the Katikati War Memorial Hall – and those registered would begin their walk or run in their chosen distance in waves, starting from 9am through to 9.35am.
Ethan, Kirsty and their three-year-old daughter Felicity, from England, participated last year. Photo / That Guy Photography
“Last year, we had more than 580 participants on the day and we’re hoping to bring in over 600 people this year.”
For those who can, please bring along a koha (cash donation) or a non-perishable food item to go to the Katikati Foodbank.
Participants are once again encouraged to go crazy and get dressed up in blue – whether it’s a blue wig, tutu, scarf or shoes – as a fun way to unite the community and add an extra splash of colour.
“Prizes are up for grabs for best dressed, and we will have a free sausage sizzles for all participants thanks to Farmlands,” Barker-Gilbert said.
The main funding partner is Hume Pack-N-Cool & Growers Community Fund, which made the event free for the whole community.
It was a blue takeover at 2024 Hume Pack-N-Cool Fun Run & Walk. Photo / That Guy Photography
There will be entertainment and activities at the Katikati War Memorial Hall for participants and spectators before prizegiving – which will happen once the last 10km participants cross the finish line, or at 11.30am at the latest, Barker-Gilbert said.
She said the event’s courses were pram- and stroller-friendly, but dogs, bikes and scooters were not permitted to take part.
Free registration is now open, with further event details at www.humepack.co.nz/fun-run.