The first week of a new school year is full of excitement — new books, new teachers, maybe even a new school. This year in Moorestown, students will have one more new event to celebrate, when the Moorestown Township Public Schools hosts a “Back to School” obstacle race on Sept. 7 at Moorestown High School.
“We are very excited about the event,” Caryn Shaw, a parent volunteer, said. “It’s going to be a great way to get kids out and involved during the first week of the new school year.”
The obstacle race will offer two courses: a mile course for children and a 5K course for teens and adults. The tracks will both offer age appropriate obstacles.
“We wanted to make the course tough, but not too difficult,” Shaw said. “The object of the race is to be fun, and we want to bring in as many people as we can.”
Some of the obstacles that will be included are tires, a commando crawl, hay bales and hurdles. There will also be cross-fit stations for the adult course and some inflatables for the children.
“The courses will overlap at some points, but for the most part, they will be completely separate,” Shaw said. “I’m especially excited to see the kids go through the inflatable obstacles.”
According to Shaw, the event is designed to get the community together. There will be no winners or prizes, and all the proceeds will benefit the school district.
“We wanted to stay away from making this a really competitive event,” Shaw said. “We are trying to raise money for the schools, and everything is going to be about fun on Sept. 7.”
After the race, there will be games and vendors at the MHS football field. There will also be non-profits at the event to raise money for the community.
The event is a collaborative effort among the MTPS administration, staff, teachers and parents, according to Shaw.
“With the budget deficits, we were looking for a way to raise some money for the school district,” she said. “We didn’t want to just do another fundraiser, so we decided to come up with something fun for the community. It will give everybody a chance to come out and celebrate the beginning of a new school year and to help the kids out by raising some money.”
Registration is now open for the race. To register, visit www.mtps.com. The cost is $20 for the one-mile race and $25 for the 5K. The first 200 registrants will also receive a free t-shirt.
“We are counting on a big turnout,” Shaw said. “It’s a great community event, and we’ve done everything we can to make it fun for the whole family. Between the vendors, the race and all the other games and activities, we think we’ve covered the entire community.”
