32nd Louis Tewanima Memorial Footrace right around the corner

SHUNGOPAVI -- The Louis Tewanima Footrace Committee is pleased to announce that the date of the 32nd Annual Louis Tewanima Memorial Footrace is approaching rapidly. This year's race is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 4, less than a month away. So, dust off those running shoes and start doing stretching exercises.

This is an annual footrace held in honor of U.S. Hopi Olympian, Louis Tewanima, who won a silver medal in the10,000 meter race at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, setting a United States Olympic record that held until broken by Billy Mills in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

There will be a 10K, 5K, 2 mile fun run/walk, and a 1 mile fun run/walk. All runners are welcome. The race will begin at 6:30 a.m. at the baseball field in the Village of Shungopavi (Second Mesa) on the Hopi Reservation. The village is located off of Hwy 264 between the Hopi Cultural Center and the Secakuku General Store.

The top winners of the 5K and 10K footraces will receive medals and traditional Hopi prizes. Medals and ribbons will also be given to winners by age category.

Proceeds will benefit the Louis Tewanima Foundation, organized to perpetuate running as a part of Hopi life, promote running for the sustained health and fitness of Hopi people, and to maintain the Hopi "Community" with running as a focal point.

From 5-10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3, there will be pre-race activities at the Shungopavi Village Community Building, including food, refreshments, registration, running clinics and video presentations of previous races.

For information and registration material, contact: Vaughn Sieweumptewa at 928-737-6026 or Pearl Evans at 928-536-4156, Ext. 348, or e-mail: tewanimarace@hotmail.com.

Registration Fees are as follows: 1 mile fun run/walk - $8; 2 -mile fun run/walk - $10; 5K run - $12 (early registration) or $15 (on race day); and10 K run - $15 (early registration) or $20 (on race day).

To qualify for the lowered early registration fees, registration entry forms and fees must be mailed to Louis Tewanima Foundation, PO. Box 912, Second Mesa, AZ 86043 and received by Aug. 26.