Run Malibu and Zen Running Club had to cancel the 6K Fun Run planned for Sunday, May 15, due to safety concerns by the City of Malibu. In lieu, the group had a booth at the Malibu Farmers Market on Sunday for participants to visit and an opportunity to enter a raffle to win an exclusive pair of plant-based running shoes and two entries to the Run Malibu on Nov. 5 and 6.
“It was canceled because of safety concerns. It was a very spontaneous idea since we had a booth at the farmers market we thought that maybe we could also go for a run, but rightfully so, the city educated us on saying since it was advertised and open to the public, there was potential that this could be a really big thing,” Malibu Run Series Race Director Erica Segel said. “They [the city] regulate these types of events and crowd gatherings so we were 100 percent on board — safety first, but the idea was we still wanted to inspire people to be active and to come and visit us, so we encourage everyone to do the run on their own and still come at the booth and interact with us.”
Run enthusiasts and farmers market attendees stopped by the booth and had an opportunity to try on the plant-based sustainable pair of running shoes. The shoes are made from natural ingredients: eucalyptus, sugarcane and cotton.
Participants such as Miori Izumi work with Erica Segel in creating promotional content and Segel said the raffle was filled with good energy.
“We hope we have inspired a few people to go and move their body today and have some fun with us,” she said.
The 14th annual Run Malibu’s Half-Marathon 5K is scheduled for Nov. 5 and 6 at Zuma Beach. The Zen Running Club also started a collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club Malibu, a beneficiary of the half-marathon. For more information on the Half-Marathon, visit runmalibu.com.
