Race Day

ELEVENTH ANNUAL THUMBS UP EVENT

9.21.2024

Orono Park
18599 Gary Street, Elk River, MN 55330

Registration opens April 1st!

Sign up to Volunteer!

Early Registration & Packet Pickup

Thursday, September 19th, 2024

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!

Friday, September 20th, 2024

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)

Saturday, September 21st, 2024

***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

Directions & Parking 

Event Location: Lake Orono Park – 18599 Gary Street, Elk River, MN 55330

Please plan on parking at the Sherburne County Fairground Parking Lot18335 Joplin St NW, Elk River, MN 55330

Parking is free/no-charge

Please try to carpool if you are able!

Kids Activities

Obstacle Course (ages 3-12)

Bounce Houses (separate for preschool ages)

Art Lab Rx

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 & Beverages

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

 

Activities & More Info

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.

Kids Obstacle Course

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!

Keynote Speaker – Ken Barlow!

We are so excited to welcome Ken Barlow as the Keynote Speaker for our 11th Annual 5K and 10K Walk/Run/Bike Event!

 

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.

blue paint

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.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay up to date on all our events and happenings!