4:00-7:00 pm: Early T-shirt & Packet Pickup
Location: Lupulin Brewing Company
Address: 570 Humboldt Drive, Suite 107, Big Lake, MN 55309
Pick up your race materials, purchase Thumbs Up merch, & enjoy a BOGO beverage courtesy of Lupulin!
4:00-7:00 pm: Early T-shirt & Packet Pickup
Location: Orono Park Pavilion
Address: 18599 Gary St., Elk River, MN 55330
Chalk Party! Help us Chalk the Walk with positive messages & remembrance of our loved ones! (chalk provided)
***NEW IN 2024 – ALL PACKET PICKUP & SAME-DAY REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY 8:30 AM ***
7:00 am – 8:30 am: Pre-Registered Packet Pickup & Same-Day Registration
9:00 am: Opening Ceremony & Keynote Speaker
9:45 am: Stretching by Luke Smith from SNAP Fitness
10:15 am: Races Begin
10:15 am – 5K & 10K Bike
10:20 am – 5K & 10K Run
10:30 am – 5K Walk
11:00 am: Kids Activities, Other Festivities, & Food Trucks
12:00 pm: Kids Dance Party
2:00 pm: End of event
Event Location: Lake Orono Park – 18599 Gary Street, Elk River, MN 55330
Please plan on parking at the Sherburne County Fairground Parking Lot: 18335 Joplin St NW, Elk River, MN 55330
Parking is free/no-charge
Please try to carpool if you are able!
Obstacle Course (ages 3-12)
Bounce Houses (separate for preschool ages)
Crazy Hair
Face Painting
Kindness Rocks by Plaisted Companies
Mindfulness by Ms. Liz
Balloon Animals by Son-Light Balloon Entertainment
Playground area
Splash Pad (weather dependent)
Skate Park
Food Trucks Available On-Site: Batter Up, Mama’s Taco Truck, Adventure Bowls, & D&D Goodies
Complimentary coffee from Dunn Brothers Elk River
Water Stations along the route presented by LIFT PT, the U14 & U15 Girls Softball Team, & Target Corporation
Register by Sept. 1st, 2024, to be guaranteed a participant t-shirt with your registration fee
Bring a photo of your loved one for the Memory Tree
Grief Support & Bereavement Memorial Area
Mental Health & Wellness Vendors On-Site
Veteran Memorial Area sponsored by Hannay Electric 🇺🇸
Dress for the weather
Friendly dogs are welcome at the event. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Please clean up after your pets.
Returning this year – a super fun, themed obstacle course!
The obstacle course is $20 per child (children age 2 & under are free). Kids who register for the obstacle course can also participate in the 5K run/walk/bike event at no additional charge.
Register by September 1st, 2024 to be guaranteed a t-shirt with your registration fee
The obstacle course will start off with a HUGE bounce house, followed by balance beams, tunnels & more!
Ken is a graduate of Plymouth State University in New Hampshire with a BS in Meteorology/Atmospheric Science.
5 Eyewitness News named Ken Barlow as Chief Meteorologist in 2021. He returned to Minnesota (KSTP-TV) in June 2011 after spending several years with WBZ-TV in Boston, MA.
Ken Barlow is an Emmy Award winning meteorologist. Ken has served as an adjunct professor of broadcast meteorology at St. Cloud State University. In February 2020, Ken earned the American Meteorological Society’s Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation, a professional recognition of his scientific knowledge and his no-air weather broadcasts. Among radio and television meteorologists, the CBM designation is sought as a mark of distinction and recognition.
Ken is a past member of the Boards of Directors and Trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities. Ken also works with the University of Minnesota Medical School as an invited lecturer, Life Source MN, Allina Health, Park Nicollet Foundation, BringChange2Mind, Team Ortho, Shriners Children’s Twin Cities, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention among others. Ken has been awarded the Paul Wellstone Advocacy Award from the MN Psychiatric Society and he serves on the International Bipolar Foundation’s Advisory Board. Ken has recently served on the Board of Directors of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). He also served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Mental Health Community Foundation and Ken was on the Steering Committee for Children’s Mental Health with the Park Nicollet Foundation. Working with Mayo Clinic, Ken and his wife Theresa have helped create a new brochure and video for newly diagnosed bipolar patients and their families.
The Annual Thumbs Up 5K & 10K route sponsored by First Bank Elk River and HealthPartners takes place in charming Elk River, Minnesota. The paved-road course offers a 3.1 mile (5K) and a 6.2 mile (10K) run, walk, or bike race. Take in the beauty of the William H. Houlton Conservation area, the Lake Orono Dam, and breathtaking views along Lake Orono.