Runners to support first responders with Saturday event

Saturday is race day for the sixth annual Badge of Honor Benefit Run.

Originally scheduled for early April, the run was one of many events cancelled or postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everything is the same as far as start time, location, where we start, where we finish,” said Jeff Vitale, race director.

Kicking off at 9 a.m., the race will start and end on the campus of Three Rivers College and is held in honor of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting and serving the citizens of their communities.

The event’s proceeds will be equally divided between the Missouri Association of State Troopers Relief Society (MASTERS), The BackStoppers Inc., Supporting Heroes and the Poplar Bluff Fraternal Order of Police No. 48’s annual Shop with a Hero program, which makes Christmas brighter for less-fortunate Butler County children.

“Of course, we raise money, and then, we’ve got all this money tied up in the event,” Vitale said. “We’ve purchased everything, the shirts, the awards, the finisher medals …

“I wanted to get it in this year because a lot of this stuff, like the finisher medals, 2020 is on the medals. We really needed to have it.”

With so many events cancelled because of the coronavirus, “I think everybody is ready to do something, to get outside and kind of get past this coronavirus stuff,” Vitale said.

Despite the rescheduled date, Vitale said, there have been very few cancellations.

Registrations were at 175, but “I know we’ve had a few more register” recently, Vitale said.

It is possible, Vitale said, this year’s participant total could exceed the “biggest year we had” in 2018, when 192 ran.

“I think we’ll be over 200 by the time it’s all said and done,” said Vitale.

Typically, as race day approaches, “I won’t be surprised if 30 to 40 (additional runners) show up,” Vitale said. “They will probably wait to see what the weather looks like.”

Saturday’s current forecast, Vitale said, is a morning low of 57, with temperatures reaching 75 to 79 by mid-day or afternoon.

“There really is a very small chance of rain,” Vitale said “That’s a plus having it in the fall. It seems like in the fall, you don’t have as much weather.

“Everything looks good for Saturday.”

While many aspects of this year’s run are the same as in previous years, Vitale said, there are new courses for each of the races.

Both the 5K and 10K will no longer cross Shelby Road, Vitale said.

Upon leaving the college headed southbound, Vitale said, the new route will turn left and cross the pedestrian bridge near Herschel Bess Boulevard before turning around and heading back to the college.

That change, he said, will keep traffic control at a minimum.

“Before, we’ve had a lot of intersections we had to control; this year, we’re just going to have to control one intersection.”

The route for the half-marathon also has been “completely revamped” to take advantage of the opening of the new portion of Shelby Road, Vitale said.

All three race courses can be viewed on the event’s website at bohbr.com. Registration information also is available there.

For those concerned about the coronavirus, Vitale said, he has “reassured everybody, we are going to have everything outside … registration, awards … I encourage everyone to respect other people’s distance.”

As a precaution, Vitale said, bottled beverages — water and Gatorade — will be given out this year.

There will be no filling cups from a water jug or food this year, Vitale said.