Dash with your doggies at GECKO’s fun walk, shuffle, run

By Kirsten Le Roux

Special to The PREVIEW

GECKO (Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors) is kicking off the year of outdoor events with an early season community fun run/walk, the Doggy Dash and Dawdle, on May 30 at 10 a.m.

It’s an easy 3k (1.8-mile) and 5k (3-mile) loop on the bike path trails from the Country Center, and starts and finishes outside Chow Down Pet Supplies. This is an untimed, noncompetitive, community event and GECKO encourages families and all ages and abilities to come out and enjoy the great outdoors with a stroll in the ‘burbs with your four-legged pal.

You can run, walk, shuffle, stroll and jog. Set yourself a goal time and go for it, or just relax and enjoy the scenery. Either way, we’ll be waiting at the finish line with plenty of cheering to bring you home.

There will be pizza at the finish line, too.

Tessie Garcia and the elementary school art class have made us doggy finisher medals and, for those doing the event in style, there are prizes for the best dressed, most festive dog-owner couple and more.

This year, we also have a doggy character for the kids — they’ll love him. Please remember — dogs must be on a leash and you must pick up after your dog (we’ll have doggy bags for you).

Registration is at Chow Down Pet Supplies. You can also register on the day of the event beginning at 9 a.m. Price for entry (per person, not per dog): $15 for 5k and $12 for 3k. Kids 10 and under can participate for free.

The next GECKO event is the XTERRA weekend, consisting of the XTERRA Turkey Track Trail Run; a 5k, 10k, 13-mile and 26-mile trail run on June 13; the XTERRA Pagosa Springs, on Sunday, June 14 (750-meter swim, 14.6-mile bike, 3-mile run), and the PLOW (Pagosa Lakes Open Water Swim Challenge — half- and 1-mile swim in Hatcher Lake).

For more information, contact Kirsten Le Roux at 398-0613 or Kristi Moss at 507-3000, or email info@joingecko.org.

GECKO is a local 501(c)3 that raises funds to get kids off the couch, unplugged and outside. For more information, go to www.joingecko.org.