The eighth annual Madison Gospel 5K, 10K Run/Walk and Health Fair will kick off on Saturday, July 11, 8 a.m. at Penn Park. The event aims to “bring diverse families from different backgrounds together on the pillars of faith, fellowship and fitness,” said Uchenna Jones, founder of the Madison Gospel 5k Foundation and Race.
Participants of all ages and physical abilities are invited to run, walk and roll in both long-distance races. The day will consist of the primary 5K and 10K events, followed by youth-centered entertainment and educational resources at the health fair promoting health and wellness for families of color.
“It’s the whole notion that it’s okay not to be okay, but what’s not okay is not doing something about it,” Jones said. “What’s not okay is not moving your body so that you can receive your own healing, your own wellness.”
Jones began organizing weekly community walks in December 2018 before founding the Madison Gospel 5K Foundation. Her goal was to offer a therapeutic and healing experience in the form of community bonding and physical exercise.
“When you take the time to slow yourself down and walk with someone, you get to find out what you have in common,” Jones said. “There’s no pressure because you’re just holding space, and if there are any concerns, we close out with prayer just to encourage and admonish one another.”
Eight years and hundreds of participants later, the Madison Gospel 5K event has expanded from a neighborhood race into a comprehensive hub of community resources. Jones said the Health Fair’s array of vendors was intentionally invited to provide “educational” outlets on local resources and a holistic approach to wellness, one that expands beyond the physical body and into every aspect of life.
The Health Fair will run from 8-11:30 a.m. with vendors including Access Community Health Centers, SSM Health, Madison Gas and Electric, Get Kids Outside and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. A massage therapist and face painter will also offer services.
“We shouldn’t forget those who are not able to walk. We need to figure out a way to bring everybody…you see whole families, so it’s just a beautiful day. A beautiful opportunity to connect different organizations. We support several businesses of color, small mom-and-pop shops. We’re really trying to put money back into the community, as opposed to heavy outsourcing,” Jones said.
The 5K and 10K will go from 8:15-11:00 a.m., spanning across five different parks on Madison’s South Side. Youth events, including a 10 a.m. kids’ race, dance competition and jump rope contest, will engage the younger generation at the intersection of fun, physical activity and community building.
“It’s a beautiful thing. I get the feedback throughout the year from the families and the impact that it’s having in the way they connect with their children and the way that they do movement activities, not independent of each other but with each other,” Jones said.
To register and learn more about this event, click here.
“A race that reflects the people is what I hope to accomplish,” Jones said.
