If it's spring, it's the Jogger Jam, and this year's annual women's run begins at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 9 at the Fruit Bowl in Wheatley Shopping Center.
The popular event, in its 18th year, benefits the Victim Advocates program. It is traditionally sponsored by the Fruit Bowl, and run in conjunction with the St. Thomas Association of Road Runners.
Therese Hodge, race director, said that she is "shooting for 300 (runners) this year." That would top last years' total by about 100. "I'm contacting the Girl Scouts, the schools and their alumnus' associations," she said.
You don't have to be a runner to enter. You can jog, walk, even hop, if you wish. It's open to women of all ages, from those who are taking their first steps, to those who've taken many, many more.
The two-mile race route begins at the Fruit Bowl and goes past Roy L. Schneider Hospital, up around Fortress Storage, down by Lockhart School and the Sugar Estate Post Office, and then back again for one more lap. After this, it's on to the Fruit Bowl for trophies, T-shirts, fresh fruit, water, and possibly even free massages.
The Fruit Bowl gives $5 to Victim Advocates for every runner, walker, or jogger across the finish line, and the first 200 get free T-shirts.
Registration is at the Fruit Bowl from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., every day except Sunday, when the store closes at 3 p.m. Pre-registration is $5, and $4 for STAR members. Also, you can sign up at Players in Havensight Mall, or Going Seanile on the waterfront. The fee for children from two to 18 years is $2. At the race, it's $7 for everybody.
For more information, call Therese Hodge at (340) 775-6373.
