Join The Excitement At The Earth Day Run In St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The annual CentraCare Earth Day Run will be taking over downtown St. Cloud next weekend.

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Active Central Minnesota Board Chair Rick Bauerly says you can attend a Health and Fitness Expo on Friday, April 17th, from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. inside the River's Edge Convention Center.

Some 30 vendors who care about health and well-being share products and services, and their energy.  And, there's also a fitness festival with up to 10 area gyms and fitness centers.

CentraCare President and CEO Dr. Ken Holmen says the event supports their motto, "Making Rural Life Healthier".

This is in many ways the trifecta; it creates community, it supports Main Street, and it improves the health of our patients in our communities, and that's what CentraCare is all about.

The free Kids' 1K is on Friday, April 17th at 5:30 p.m., the 5K Run/Walk is at 6:30 p.m., the Half Marathon and Half Relay are on Saturday, April 18th, starting at 8:00 a.m.

Bauerly says over 2,300 people have registered so far (a post-COVID record), and they are expecting that number to grow by at least 500 more. Over 400 kids are expected to participate in the free 1K

For every kid participating in the Free Kid's 1K, Active Central MN and Great River Greening will plant one tree in Central or Greater Minnesota within a year of Earth Day 2026. And new in 2026, for every $1 that participants donate to this initiative, Great River Greening will plant one additional tree at Quarry Park and Nature Preserve or another Central Minnesota location within a year.

He says it's a big boost for the local economy.

The hotels are full downtown.  The bars, restaurants, and shops are engaging this year in a way they haven't in the past.  There are going to be downtown bucks available to anyone who finishes any of the races.

The two $5 in "Downtown Bucks" can be spent Friday, April 17th, through Sunday, April 19th.

Holmen says it's a community event that makes a positive difference.

We kind of get a bad rap. Forget that. Let's celebrate who we are. Let's be positive.