This weekend Zumix, East Boston’s popular music and arts for youth program, will hold its 4th Annual Run 2 the Beat 5K Road Race. At 9 a.m. on Sunday, September 21 runners will take off from Piers Park at 108 Marginal Street and the flat and fast racecourse take the runners through Eastie’s incredible green spaces with live music all along the route.
Each year the race draws over 250 runners to raise over $10,000 to support Zumix’s development programs.
Participants are invited to run in costume, dressed as their favorite musical icon. Runners may choose to run as a soloist or form a “super group” of four or more people. Prizes will be awarded to the fastest runners and the best costumes. Costume categories include Best Solo Artist, Best Super group, and Hardest To Run In. Giveaways and snacks will be available for all.
Co-presented by Zumix and Massport, the annual Run to the Beat was a huge success last year according to Zumix Founder and Director Madeleine Steczynski.
“It was a fantastic event and we can’t wait to do it again,” said Steczynski. “When planning we figured it would start off small and grow but we were amazed at the turnout and support from the community year after year.”
Initiated four years ago by Arthur Bom Conselho with support from his running partners Steve Holt, Rob Pyles and the entire Zumix Fund Raising Committee, the grassroots effort quickly mushroomed to a full-blown running event.
To register for the race, visit http://zumixrun2thebeat.eventbrite.com/. Registration is $35 for solo adult runners and $30 per person for adult super groups of four people or more. Registration is $15 for solo youth runners (under 18 years old), and $10 per person for youth super groups of 4 people or more. Those who register by September 1st will receive a free T-shirt.
Zumix, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through music and the arts, offers award-winning programs in songwriting, performance, radio, audio technology, and theater for youth ages 7-18, as well as private instrumental lessons for all ages. Founded in 1991 in response to a wave of youth violence, ZUMIX provides top-quality cultural programming as an alternative way for young people to deal with frustration, anger, and fear, and as a method of building cultural understanding and acceptance in one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods. In 2011, ZUMIX was honored with a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. This award, presented by First Lady Michelle Obama, recognizes ZUMIX as one of the top 12 youth arts and humanities programs in the country.