Fall City Days | Race for a good cause at fun run

Published 2:14 pm Friday, June 15, 2012

This Saturday, June 16, the Fall City Days Fun Run will again bring more than 500 runners to the Valley.

The races will begin and end in front of the Farmhouse Market, starting at 9 a.m. for the children’s 1k, and at 9:15 a.m. for the 5k and 10k.

The run benefits students in Valley schools. The Mount Si basketball team and bheerleaders will help with the event, as well as parents of elementary students.

Sean Sundwall of Run Snoqualmie hosts the event and has brought a fresh set of eyes to the race since his involvement in 2011.

Sundwall ran in high school, and began “running in earnest” seven years ago. As coach of the distance team at Mount Si, Sundwall says he loves running primarily because “it is a no-cut sport, we take everybody.”

Running became a hobby, leading him to the idea of Run Snoqualmie. Sitting in his office watching the Railroad Days parade, Sundwall began to wonder why Snoqualmie was the only town in the Valley that didn’t have its own fun run. He knew that if he didn’t act upon this idea, no one else would, so five years ago he began the Run Snoqualmie race organization. It didn’t take long before his involvement spread to five other races, including the Fall City Days Fun Run.

Sundall began using disposable timing chips in all of his races after the timing company he worked with introduced them.

“The technology was there, so they decided to use it,” Sundwall said of the company, BuDu Racing. Participants do not have to worry about tying the chip to their shoe or returning it at the end of the race because the chip is attached to the racing bib and can be disposed of.

As a coach at Mount Si, he “cares about each player equally,” no matter their abilities. Track allows for a wide range of abilities and types of people, and that is what keeps Sundwall and his organization going. He wants to “breed a love for running” because, unlike so many other sports, it can last a lifetime.

“I hope these races will inspire kids to go into track and field ten years from now at Mount Si” and continue to run for the rest of their lives.

Cost for entry in the Fall City run is $27.15 for adults, $10.86 for children.

Learn more at www.runsnoqualmie.com/