Running Wild for Good

March 8th wasn’t a typical morning. It was a race day, feel good, do even better for the Boys & Girls Club of Nassau County Foundation (opens in new tab) type of morning. 

To get us on our marks, let’s begin at the start line on Tinker Street. Where participants were ready to put their 5K & 10K training to the test. But before the cannon could signify the start, we took time to bring up our dear friends from the Boys & Girls Club of Nassau County Foundation. With the help of our participants and race-day sponsors, we were able to raise $5,000 to help drive their mission to provide after-school and summer programs which benefit the community’s youth in our area. Talk about a win! 

Once the race began, runners got the VIP tour of the Wildlight trailways (opens in new tab) and neighborhoods while on the race course. And family and friends had the chance to cheer on their favorite racers as they passed by. To put a little bit more pep in their step, local singer Michael McDaniels (opens in new tab) gave the runners some almost-to-the-finish-line inspiration through his encouraging tunes and downright good vocals.  

Back on Tinker Street, the fun was just getting started. Onlookers enjoyed classic hits sung by The Honey Badgers (opens in new tab) (we even saw some dancing), fresh eats from three local food trucks and a vendor village that had just about something for everyone. Even the kids had a dedicated area to play in, including a rock wall, balloon artist and face painter. And all runners (age 21 and up) were greeted with a refreshing beer from Mocama Beer Company Wildlight (opens in new tab) and a completion medal when they hit the finish line.

It takes a village to host Run Wild and it wouldn’t be possible without our amazing sponsors and volunteers who made the day go off in a flawless stride. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to hit a new Run Wild personal record with over 1,000 participants. 

Weren’t able to attend (or just want to learn more)? View the full list of the race results here (opens in new tab) and see if you made it into any of the race day photos here (opens in new tab). 

We can’t wait to see what other PR’s we’ll hit in 2026!