Sunshine Festival July 4th 5k & 1 mile

Welcome to the 41st Annual July 4th Sunshine Festival 5k Race and 1-mile on St Simons Island!

Finisher medals for all 5k and 1-mile finishers!

Website

There are many local social media and web "local event" calendars for the Golden Isles, they are not always up to date for our event in spite of our efforts. This is our OFFICAL Race Website!

Hotel Discount
Sea Palms Resort
Attention Runners!  Getting a good night's rest is essential for crushing your 5k race, come stay with us at Sea Palms for a quiet and peaceful rest with a view! 
Use this link for 10% off!  Sea Palms Resort (travelclick.com)

IMPORTANT NOTES

Starting Line is self-seeded by average expected pace per mile
Strollers ARE ALLOWED, be careful and respectful of the Adaptive Athletes.
Dogs ARE NOT ALLOWED; this is due to insurance liability and safety issues. 

PRE-RACE DAY Walk-up registration on July 3rd is available.  
NO RACE DAY registrations on July 4th
RACE DAY Packet up is available on July 4th
PACKETS unclaimed by 8 am on Race Day are forfeited. 

AWARDS cannot be picked up early. This is a chip timed event that starts when you cross the starting line; early result print outs are subject to change. 

No shirt exchanges, until after the race has ended

Pre-Race Day Packet Pickup & Walk Up Registration
Thursday, July 3rd, 4-7 pm at St. Simons United Methodist Church, Thorpe Building. 
624 Ocean Blvd, St Simons Island, GA 31522 

Your friends or family can pick up your packet but may have to get in multiple lines.

After picking up your bib, you will proceed to a different line to pick up your shirt. 

Race Day 
NO RACE DAY registrations
RACE DAY packet pick up is available
Thursday, July 4th, 6 am Kings Park basketball courts (Park & Mallery streets)
Race Day 5k packet pickup: 6 am until 6:45 am
5k Race starts: 7 am
1 Mile packet pickup: 6 am until 7:45 am
1 Mile Run starts 8 am
Unclaimed packets/shirts will be forfeited at 8:15 am
Awards Ceremony: 8:30 am 

Starting Line:

Start/Finish Location: St Simons Park / Kings Park, 515 Park Ave, St Simons Island, GA 31522 (Across from Mallery Park and by the basketball court)

Only the Overall Fastest Male and Female winners are scored by gun time, everyone else is by chip time including Masters and Age Group. Otherwise, your time doesn't start until you cross the starting line

The starting line will be sorted by expected pace with 10 different pace group sections. 
PLEASE seed yourself in the right location. Fastest up front and slower in the back. The line will stretch all the way back to Oak Street. 

The Push Rim division of 5 racing strollers for Adaptive athletes will be in front and start 2 minutes ahead of everyone else. 

Starting Line Sections by Pace per Mile

Section 1: 5–6-minute pace
Section 2: 6-7-minute pace
Section 3: 7-8-minute pace
Section 4: 8-9-minute pace
Section 5: 9-10-minute pace
Section 6: 10-11-minute pace
Section 7:11-12-minute pace
Section 8:12-13-minute pace
Section 9:14-15-minute pace
Section 10: Walking

Bathrooms:
2 multi-stall bathrooms across the street in Mallery Park by the ball field, 
8 bathrooms in the Village Pier Casino building on Beachview Drive (0.25 miles)
8 Porta-potties by the starting Line. 

Photos:
Sports in Motion Photography will be photographing our event this year.  We are providing the digital images for FREE!  Please look for an email after the event with a direct link to your images or you can go to www.simphotos.com to view photos too. 

Food and Snacks On-Site Race Day

Sandy Bottom Bagels - bagels
Parkers - water handing out water bottles
Georgia Watermelon Association - handing out watermelon
Pepsi & Coca Cola - donated water bottles
Fuse Frozen Yogurt - handing out frozen yogurt while it lasts
Winn-Dixie & GITC - oranges, bananas, cookies
Friendly Express - handing out water bottles
Starbucks - serving cold brew
Golden Isles Center for Plastic Surgery, PC / Centered on Wellness Cooling Scarves while they last. 

5K ROUTE

USTAF Certified 5k route

5K Route video preview

Sunshine Festival July 4th 5k Map - MapMyRun

1 MILE ROUTE

Start and Finish will be at 5K starting Line.

Course will follow 5K course on Park Ave. turning right onto Magnolia Ave where you make a turnaround between Park and Bartow Street, stay to the right, cross Mallery Street, turn left on Oak St. and finish at the Start Line on Park Street. 

The 1-mile fun run will be chip timed.

Sunshine Festival 1 Mile MAP

AWARDS
Awards cannot be picked up early. This is a chip timed event that starts when you cross the starting line; early result print outs are subject to change. 

The Award Ceremony will take place at approximately 8:30 am

All 5k and 1-mile Mile participants who complete the course and are wearing a bib will receive a Finisher medal 

Chip timing provided by Second Wind Timing

5k Awards:
Overall, Masters (40-49), Grand Masters (50-59), Senior Masters (60+), and top 3 male and female finishers in each age group. Age groups - 9 & under, 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80 & over.

Overall & Master Awards include a medal, a bag of Vidalia Onions from Herndon Farms, and a free pair of shoes from Game Changers Running Store
Note: Overall Male and Female start time is at gun time, Masters and Age Group awards are from chip time. 

1 Mile Awards: 
12 and under, 1st, 2nd, 3rd male and female
13 and over, 1st, 2nd, 3rd male and female 

Award for the Best Costume.  (1st Place only, must be present at the Awards ceremony for judging)
Award for the Best Team (Largest).  (1st. place)
Award for the Fastest Team. (1st, 2nd & 3rd place)
To compete in the Fastest Team awards, your team must have at least 2 men and 1 female. We take the top 2 fastest men and the fastest female (1) for a total of 3. You don't have to do anything to compete, it is automatic as long you meet these requirements. 
Award for the best-decorated homes along the route.  3 awards: Patriotic, Creative, and Old Glory 

Hannah Roberts—Age Group Award local artist:

Hannah Roberts is a ceramic & jewelry artist based out of St. Simons Island, GA. Originally from Cape Cod, MA, her work reflects the natural beauty of both coastal homes. A self-taught jewelry designer, Roberts said she “fell in love with working in clay & knew [she] wanted to become a potter.” She has continued to hone her craft through workshops and practice. Her nature-inspired ceramics feature clean forms, intricately decorated, and textured surfaces. You can find her work at art festivals and selections throughout Georgia. Contact: hannahrobertsart@yahoo.com Instagram: @hrobertsdesigns

Regine Haardoefer - Team award local artist 

After a brief encounter at age 12, Regine Haardoerfer has rediscovered ceramic arts in the past three years. Throughout her life, she has enjoyed arts and crafts utilizing many mediums when not working as a professor of Public Health at Emory University. More recently she has discovered her love for sculpture. Some of her work can be seen at Glynn Visual Arts this month.

Parking

Parking is a challenge, please carpool, be dropped off, ride a bike, or walk! Otherwise, you can park along Mallery Street, around the ballpark, in the village, by the library or lighthouse. Stay away from private residences. 

Golden Isles Track Club uses the race proceeds to encourage and promote Good Health in the Golden Isles

July 4th Activities

Sunshine Festival Craft Show (Postell Park)
530 Beachview Drive, St. Simons, GA

Be sure to visit our 3-day festival with 60 artists and makers featuring exquisite handmade items, original art, and specialty foods. We'll have fresh lemonade and our local Kona Ice out.

Friday July 4th 10-5
Saturday July 5th 10-5
Sunday July 6th 10-4

More at: www.facebook.com/CraftsintheVillage 

Golf Cart Parade – July 4, 11:00am

Deck out your golf cart in red, white and blue and join the golf cart parade! Carts line up adjacent to Mallery Park, then make their way through the St. Simons Island Village.

Live Music – July 4

Throughout the day, live bands entertain on the bandstand in the village area.

Fireworks – July 4, 9:00pm

The annual fireworks display is launched from the pier, so the best viewing areas are Neptune Park and nearby waterfront locations. Bring a chair, sit back and enjoy the show! Parking is tight, so arrive early, walk or bike.