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Akridge Scout Reservation hosted an autumn 5K run in Dover to benefit Boy Scouts of America. The event on Nov. 16th was the first at the facility and organized by scout executive Robert Nakagawa.
“I’m responsible for all the scouting operations throughout the Delmarva peninsula, so we have three scout properties and camps as well as about 4,000 scouts and almost 300 scout units that I work through a number of staff members and volunteers to make sure that every child on the peninsula has an opportunity to join the scouting program,” said Nakagawa.
Nakagawa says he aimed to make sure runners and those that came to watch got the most out of the day
“We set up some water stations, we have a little petting zoo and we brought some of the animals to make sure that everything is set up for the runners and everybody has a good experience,” Nakagawa said. “And after the race, everybody’s getting their shirts and they’re able to tie dye their shirts to have a little more fun after the race, as well as some food and refreshments.”
Avid runner and second place finisher Zuleyka Martinez says she liked what she saw
“I saw that it was the only run in Dover and I haven’t ran in a while in Dover, it’s the main reason why I love coming out her,” said Matinez, “I’ve done runs almost seven years, I’ve done them first with Fusion, Races 2 Run, and then Seashore Striders. It was kind of windy and kind of scary going through the rocks but I liked it overall,”
Proceeds from the run support Scouting America, but Nakagawa says there’s more to hosting races than that.
“We definitely hope we’ll have more runs here in the future, especially because we want the public to know that we’re here as a part of the community and we’d love for them to come and use our property,” Robert said.
If you want to run in another race at Akridge Scout in the future, you can go to Races2Run or dmvc.org for future information.