Sunshine Festival July 4th 5k & 1 mile

42nd Annual July 4th Sunshine Festival 5k Race and 1-mile on St Simons Island!

Finisher Medals

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

Website

• Local Calendars: 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.
• Official Website: This is our OFFICIAL Race Website!
• Link: Visit Here

Hotel Discount

• Sea Palms Resort: Attention Runners! Getting a good night's rest is essential for crushing your 5k race.
• Peaceful Stay: Come stay with us at Sea Palms for a quiet and peaceful rest with a view!
• Discount: Use this link for 10% off! Sea Palms Resort

Important Notes

• Starting Line: Is self-seeded by average expected pace per mile.
• Strollers: ARE ALLOWED, be careful and respectful of the Adaptive Athletes.
• Pets: Dogs ARE NOT ALLOWED: this is due to insurance liability and safety issues.
• Registration: PRE-RACE DAY Walk-up registration on July 3rd is available. NO RACE DAY registrations on July 4th.

Race Day Information

• Packet Pickup: RACE DAY Packet up is available on July 4th.
• Timing: This is a chip-timed event that starts when you cross the starting line.
• Awards: Awards cannot be picked up early.
• Packet Claim: PACKETS unclaimed by 8 am on Race Day are forfeited.

Starting Line Details

• Location: St Simons Park / Kings Park, 515 Park Ave, St Simons Island, GA 31522.
• Timing: Only the Overall Fastest Male and Female winners are scored by gun time: everyone else is scored by chip time.
• Pace Groups: The starting line will be sorted by expected pace with 10 different pace group sections.
• Push Rim Division: Starts 2 minutes ahead of everyone else.

Pace Sections

• 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

Facilities

• Bathrooms: 2 multi-stall bathrooms across the street in Mallery Park.
• Additional: 8 bathrooms in the Village Pier Casino building on Beachview Drive.
• Porta-potties: 8 available by the starting line.

Photography

• Event Photographer: Sports in Motion Photography will be providing digital images for FREE!
• Access: 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
• Vendors: Including Starbucks and others serving drinks and snacks.

5K Route

• Certification: USTAF Certified 5k route
• Preview: 5K Route video preview available.
• Link: Sunshine Festival July 4th 5k Map - MapMyRun

1 Mile Route

• Start/Finish: At the 5K starting line.
• Course: Course will follow the 5K route with a turnaround.
• Link: Sunshine Festival 1 Mile MAP

Awards

• 5k Awards: Overall, Masters, Grand Masters, Senior Masters, and Top 3 male and female in each age group.
• 1 Mile Awards: 12 and under, 1st, 2nd, 3rd male and female: awards for older age categories as well.
• Costume Award: For the Best Costume (1st Place only).
• Team Awards: Best Team (Largest): Fastest Team awards available.

Parking

• Recommendations: Carpool, be dropped off, ride a bike, or walk!
• Available Spots: Park along Mallery Street, around the ballpark, in the village, by the library or lighthouse.

July 4th Activities

• Craft Show: Sunshine Festival Craft Show at Postell Park.
• Golf Cart Parade: July 4, 11:00 am - join us with decorated carts!
• Live Music: Throughout the day with performances in the village area.
• Fireworks: July 4, 9:00 pm - Enjoy the annual fireworks display!

Community Impact

• Golden Isles Track Club: Uses race proceeds to encourage and promote Good Health in the Golden Isles.