4th of July Run & Ride ready to go
By Hector Trujillo
Thousands of participants are expected to take part in the annual Scripps Ranch Old Pros Fourth of July Run & Ride this year with events that include a 10K run, 2-mile fun run, 22.5 gravel bike ride, 35-mile street bike ride and a 12-mile street bike ride.
Prizes will be awarded for different age groups and running clubs. Afterward, activities will include entertainment, a beer garden and band, silent auction and fun slide for kids at Hoyt Park.
Rick Smurlo is this year’s Run & Ride czar in charge of the overall event for the Scripps Ranch Old Pros athletic club.
“I was in charge of the park set up and take down the last couple of years and then, the guy who was the czar those years asked me to take over for him,” Smurlo said. “What was fun about last year was that I was able to go up to the starting line since I was in charge of the park before. I got to watch them all take off and see how many people were there. I’ve been involved with this for 20 years or so, but I had never seen the race kickoff with thousands of people – which was cool.”
Smurlo has already worked several hundred hours throughout the year in order to make this year’s event a success.
There will be two locations providing parking and shuttle services to the area near registration and the starting line. The first location is at the Vons shopping center on the corner of Scripps Ranch Boulevard and Aviary Drive with shuttle service from the Vons parking lot. The second location for parking and shuttle services will be at the corner of Scripps Ranch Boulevard and Meanley Drive with a large parking area at 10277 Meanley Drive and shuttle service to a location close to registration and the starting line. Shuttle service for both locations begins around 5:45 a.m. and continues until just before the 10K run start time of 7 a.m. There is no shuttle service provided back to the parking locations.
All these events begin the morning of July 4 and end around 10 a.m. There will be temporary road closures around Red Cedar Drive, Scripps Lake Drive and neighborhood streets around Hoyt Park from 5:45 to 9 a.m. (exact times may vary).
This is the 49th year that the event has been held. The Scripps Ranch Old Pros is a nonprofit athletic club in Scripps Ranch made up of more than 400 members that puts on sports leagues for its members all year, holds events for members and makes donations and funds scholarships in the community. It is also the biggest charitable organization in Scripps Ranch and recently launched a foundation to distribute all funds the club raises each year.
Visit runride.org for more information or to sign up.
