Dallas, TEXAS - On a chilly and clear New Year’s morning over 1,700 runners and walkers completed the second annual Commitment Day 5k in Dallas.
The Dallas run was sponsored Life Time Fitness as part of a nationwide, 35 city run/walk event attracting tens of thousands participants. According to Life Time’s Chief Executive Officer, Bahram Akradi, “Commitment Day is a broad social movement uniting individuals in 5K Walk/Run events across the nation each January 1 to declare a commitment to healthy eating, exercise, family, respect and giving back.”
Expert direction
The race was directed by Staci Brode and Ahmed Zaher, the co-owners of PlayTri Performance Centers, whose extensive experience in race productions made for a fun and safe event. Brode said in a press release, “The January 1 fun walk/run 5K helps people start the year on the right foot—literally. It’s about taking a stand against poor health and inadequate nutrition and making a commitment to your own personal health while motivating and supporting those around you to do the same.”
This year’s race started and finished at Dallas’ Reverchon Park. The course started eastbound on Turtle Creek Blvd. for the first mile and a quarter until runners turned right onto Lemmon Avenue where they climbed steadily uphill for a half mile to Carlisle Street. The road turned steeply downhill and turned right onto Bowen where it eventually rejoined Turtle Creek Blvd., for a flat and fast half mile back to Reverchon Park.
A tradition in the making
Many of the participants ran the event for the second year-in-a-row saying they planned on making the January 1 run an annual tradition. Meredith Wilson, 25, of Frisco, Texas, who ran the race for the second year, said, "Today was a redemption run -- I was able to stay healthy [this year], and ran the whole three miles, improving on last year's finish. Setting a personal record of 25:27 was icing on the cake. I raced under the bib number one, a true honor! And with friends alongside me, I got a good start of my commitment to face the future confidently, with hope."