My first 5K

For 68 years, animal shelter Wayside Waifs has offered sanctuary, medical help and a second chance to homeless pets.

For 22 years, this organization has brought attention to its mission by bringing people and dogs together for a public race on the streets of Kansas City.

Mutts will be struttin’

Many shelters exist in the Kansas City area. Wayside Waifs is one of the biggest, saving over 6,500 pets each year.

Whenever I meet people, of course, I always ask where their pets came from. I feel like almost 50 percent of the time if I ask that question in Kansas City, the response is “Wayside Waifs.”

Wayside Waifs is where Thunderlutz blogger Angela volunteers with shelter cats (which she once wrote about on this blog). It is also a shelter with which Kennel Creek Pet Resort recently partnered by getting a couple of adoptable Waifs dogs out of the shelter and into playgroups, training and, eventually, forever homes.

Now Wayside Waifs will be the reason I run my first 5K!

Strutt with Your Mutt consists of a 5K that can be run with or without a dog and 3K for people and pets who prefer a leisurely stroll through the beautiful Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City.

Participants set their own pace – on foot and in fundraising. There are prizes on the line for those who generate the most donations, but the physical race is not competitive.

That makes this event an ideal, no-pressure situation for Charlie Machete and me. As I pointed out yesterday, foster dog Charlie Machete is the most awesome jogging partner ever. But neither one of us in marathon condition.

We are currently jogging between 1.5 and 3 miles per day. We are slow. We are steady. We are committed.

I promised readers a few weeks back that to combat my premature old lady pains, I would make fitness and exercise a bigger priority in my life. Consider this event my way of staying accountable – while also remaining loyal to the cause of helping homeless animals.

Really – could there be a more perfect first 5K for me?

I hope to be running alongside fellow members of the KC Pittie Pack, some of whom have already committed to walking with their dogs in the 3K portion of the event. By the end of the race, I might be wishing I had opted to walk!

If you would like to sponsor Charlie Machete and me in Strutt with Your Mutt, visit our fundraising page and make a tax deductible donation to Wayside Waifs.

Have you ever run a 5K? Tell us what we should expect!