Second annual chili challenge 5K
Mountain Town and Meet Mount Pleasant sponsor 5K put on by Parks and Recreation
Island Park consists of several trails and walkways, as it is an actual island surrounded by the Chippewa River.
Mount Pleasant held its second annual Chili Challenge, a community 5K on the morning of Feb. 3. The event was sponsored by Mountain Town Station and Meet Mount Pleasant.
The participants started and finished in Island Park, taking them back and forth over the Chippewa River, on paved trails and roads on a loop through public parks in town. There were water stations set up along the route for participants in need of some refreshment.
While everyone traveled the course at their own pace, the first-place finishers in each age category received a tumbler mug with the “Chili 5K” logo on it. Categories were set up by decade, starting with teens 15-19 and ending at the 50+ category.
All participants received a long sleeve shirt, custom finisher medal and of-age participants got a Mountian Town craft beer.
Additionally, a chili bar was made available to participants by Mountian Town Station which suited the event, as participants took place in the race with temperatures being below 30 degrees.
Tyler Moss is the recreation assistant for the city of Mount Pleasant, and coordinated the 5K. He said that the origins of this event actually came from a former Mount Pleasant community event, Man vs. Mountain. Moss said this race was similar to a Tough Mudder, in which participants race through a variety of obstacles and difficult course terrain.
Moss explained that the Man vs. Mountain event was put on hold for a year because of COVID-19 and that downtown development created a lack of space to continue this tradition.
“Last year, we (Mount Pleasant Parks and Recreation) decided to go to the Chili Challenge‘” Moss said. “So it was still like a winter 5K that we offered. It was just a little bit … more of like a fun run type of event rather than competitive, like an extreme type 5K. We wanted to kind of still offer the same thing.”
Moss also talked about how it's important to hold community events such as the Chili Challange 5K even in the bitter winter months.
“It's not the easiest thing to wake up on a Saturday morning and go do a 5K in single-digit temperatures." Moss said, "(But) there are other people and obviously (there’s) food and stuff, so it's still a good time. Letting people have fun. It's just, giving people the opportunity to take part in that.”
To find more events around Mount Pleasant put on by Parks and Recreation, click here.
