Tour de Village 5K Promises Fun for Runners, Walkers

Lace up those sneakers, Carrollwood runners.

The 2012 Tour de Village 5K run and one-mile walk will be held on Saturday March 17. Sign-in for the grass-only race starts at 7 a.m. at 4535 West Village Drive at Carrollwood Village Millennium Garden.

T-shirts and goodie bags will be provided to the first 200 runners who register for the ninth annual race, said Maria Hochwarth-Alvarez, the event's organizer.

Proceeds from the race - which participants can pre-register for until Friday - will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's team in training and Carrollwood's Relay for Life team, Hochwarth-Alvarez said.

"It's a fun event, and for the first time, we have a professional DJ who will play some nice music and help with making announcements," she said.

Other freebies for participants include pizza, bagels, smoothie samples and sandwiches from Carrollwood businesses.

While last year's event included about 200 runners and raised $1,000 for charity, Hochwarth-Alvarez wants this year's Tour de Village to be even more successful.

"I'm hoping for that again, but it's been a little slow this year," she said of race entries. "But we draw runners from all over the place, from Sarasota to Thonotosassa."

Maria Patterson, executive director of the Carrollwood Area Business Association, said the event is a good offering for local residents.

"It's nice because there are some great vendors in the area," she said. "It's a nice community event for kids of all ages, and there's a lot of camaraderie there. We (CABA) enjoy participating in it every year."

Registration rates (through Friday, March 9) are: $15 for adults to run the 5k, $10 for the one-mile race; $10 for kids to run the 5K and $5 for the one-mile race. Sign-up on race day goes up $5.

For registration forms or to volunteer on race day, call Hochwarth-Alvarez at 813-842-7066, email her at alvaworks@tampabay.rr.com or go to www.carrollwoodvillage.com.