St. Augustine’s spookiest 5K is taking off from the Old Jail at 167 San Marco Ave. on Saturday, Oct. 25. Old Town Trolley Tour’s 9th Annual Jail Break 5K Run for a Cause raises funds for the St. Johns County Education Foundation, operating as Investing in Kids (INK!). INK! promotes success for all St. Johns County public school students and teachers through innovative programs.
“The Jail Break 5K is a great way to get moving and help our local schools,” said Dave Chatterton, general manager of Old Town Trolley Tours. “Our local teachers and students constantly inspire us, so it’s a great honor to bring the community together in support of education. And we like to create some good-natured competition between the schools with our Jail Break 5K School Team Challenge. The top three schools that have the most registered participants win cash prizes as well as bragging rights throughout the year!”
The Jail Break 5K is a professionally timed and scored point-to-point race. The USATF-certified course begins at the Old Jail, travels down Magnolia Avenue and across the Vilano Bridge to the Atlantic Ocean.
At the finish line, trolleys round up the “escaped prisoners” and shuttle them back to the Old Jail for post-race refreshments, awards and the Jail Break After Party.
All finishers receive a custom finisher’s medal and T-shirt (shirt size and availability guaranteed to those registering by Tuesday, Sept. 30). Placement tiles are awarded to the overall top male and female finishers and the top three finishers in age categories ranging from under 9 to over 75 years.
Runners are encouraged to wear their best costumes for the Halloween Costume Contest. A panel of local celebrity judges will pick three adult and three youth winners, who will receive cash prizes.
St. Johns County Public Schools are invited to show their school spirit by registering students, families, friends, faculty and staff as a team in the Jail Break 5K School Team Challenge. The public school with the highest number of registered participants will receive a one-of-a-kind Jail Break 5K Team Challenge trophy, bragging rights and a $1,000 award for their school. Teams with the second and third-highest numbers of event participants will also receive cash awards.
Pre-race packet pick up is on Friday, Oct. 24, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Old Town Welcome Center, located at 1305 North Ponce De Leon Blvd. Race day packet pick-up and registration is on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. at the Old Jail. The race kicks off at 8 a.m.
For more information or to register for the in-person or virtual race, go to runsignup.com/Race/Info/FL/SaintAugustine/EscapeFromStAugustine.
