Weekend-long 5K event coming to Carrboro

This weekend’s 5K race at the 300 East Main development will be like a lot of things in Carrboro — not so normal.

The Not So Normal 5K + Weekend will be a three-day event with activities going on at various locations throughout the town from Friday to Sunday.

Profits from the activities will benefit more than 20 local charities.

Jay Radford, the event’s founder and organizer, said he wanted to create an event that would be fun for everyone in the community — from residents to small children to students.

“I really want to bridge the gap where students and the community members come together,” he said. “It’s all about bringing everyone together for a weekend.”

The main events will be Sunday, starting with a 5K race at 8 a.m.

Several teams have organized to raise money for charities of their choice in preparation for the race.

Radford said he will donate part of the entry fee back to any student groups that join the race.

There will be “race buddies” on hand to accompany children through a course of their own while parents take the main loop through downtown Carrboro.

Radford, a stay-at-home father to four children, said it was important for him to accommodate parents.

Of the about 330 adult runners who have registered for the run, 70 percent are women.

“That’s unheard of for races, usually it’s men,” he said. “I think it’s that we have free childcare; it makes it easier for them.”

In the afternoon, a concert featuring local and regional musical groups will be held at University Mall.

The evening will end with a performance by Stereosparks, an indie rock band from Nashville, Tenn.

The concert is free, but donations are encouraged, Radford said.

All proceeds from that event will go to the N.C. Children’s Hospital and the ArtsCenter.

Julie Tomkovick, development director for the ArtsCenter, said the community has been supportive of the concert, which is expected to bring in about $5,000 for the Children’s Hospital and the ArtsCenter.

“I had been thinking for a first-year event, maybe we could look at something in the $3,000 range, and it looks like Jay already has numbers that can top that,” she said.

In addition to the concert, Carrboro ArtsCenter will host several events just for children throughout the weekend, including a beach party and a pajama party.

“It’s a very affordable way to get everyone in the family involved or race with your best friends or get a team together,” Tomkovick said.

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