Returning for the 11th year, Christ Episcopal Church of Downtown Raleigh is announcing its annual Run for Young 5K race taking place Sunday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. Run For Young is a family-friendly race starting and ending at Christ Episcopal Church, located at 120 E Edenton Street in Downtown Raleigh.

The race started in 2008 in loving memory of Sadiki Young, an active member of Christ Episcopal Church and a senior at Wakefield High School, when he lost his life as a passenger in an alcohol-related accident Jan. 14, 2007. The 18-year-old was full of life, personality and character. He was a successful student, gifted musician, and talented athlete. The congregation of the church comes together each year to host the 5K race in memory and celebration of his incredible life.

The course for the race is an out-and-back route throughout Edenton and Hillsborough Streets, starting at Christ Episcopal Church. Triangle families and people of all ages are invited to run or walk in the race and strollers are welcome.

“We are incredibly humbled to be holding the 11th annual race,” said Martha Cox, Assistant Director of Youth Ministry, “It means a lot to the church and to Sadiki’s family to be able to host this race every year. The atmosphere of the race was purposefully designed to remind us of his lively spirit and zest for life. We look forward to seeing everyone come out in January!”

The tragedy provides a reminder for the community on the importance of making smart choices when vehicles and alcohol are involved. Therefore, all proceeds from race registration fees will go to programs that raise awareness about safe driving practices for teens at local high schools, as well as support for the Christ Church Youth Ministry Endowment. The Christ Church Youth Ministry Endowment was also founded in honor of Young. It gives students the opportunity to run community initiative projects and provides scholarships as well.

To honor Young’s passion for live music, the annual race gratefully hosts local bands that volunteer their time to perform live along the sidewalks of the racecourse. The live music provides fun entertainment for all race-goers to enjoy while completing the course.

The event will also include a variety of door prizes; all registered runners are automatically entered for the chance to win. Additional awards will be given to the top three male and female race winners, as well as male and female age group division winners.

Anyone who registers by Dec. 27 will get a complimentary race t-shirt. Individuals interested in participating in the race should visit, runforyoung.org/race-information-and-registration.html. There are different levels of sponsorships still available. Businesses interested in becoming sponsors can visit, runforyoung.org/sponsor-the-race.html.

About Run For Young: 

Run for Young is a 5K race held annually by Christ Episcopal Church of Downtown Raleigh in memory of Sadiki Young. Young was a member of the Church and a senior at Wakefield High School when he lost his life as a passenger in a tragic alcohol-related accident in January 2007. The 18-year-old was passionate about sports, music and spending time with friends. All proceeds from the race go toward programs raising awareness about safe driving methods at local high schools as well as the Christ Church Youth Ministry Endowment. For more information or to register for the 2018 race, visit www.runforyoung.org.