Walter's Run

The Parkway Running Club announces that the 19th annual running of Walter's Run will take place on Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 11am. This local 5K, which raises funds for three charities, will begin and end at the West Roxbury YMCA (15 Bellevue St., West Roxbury).

Amenities for runners include a wheel-measured course, large raffle, free running gloves and a "swag bag" for the first 350 entrants, a post-race feast provided by local merchants, trophies for the top finishers and medals for the top three runners in each age group.

A Little Kids race will take place at 10:40am and offers non-competitive fun for children ages 10 and under. All Little Kids Race participants will receive a ribbon and candy cane from Santa Claus.

For the third year in a row, Walter's Run has partnered with Girls on the Run (GOTR), a local youth empowerment program. GOTR is a non-profit organization which matches Boston girls, ages 8-12 years, with running mentors and spends 12 weeks helping the girls prepare to run their first 5K road race.

Formerly knowns as the Santa Scamper, Walter's Run is named in honor of Walter Burgess, who passed away suddenly in 2003 at the age of 40. Burgess was an active member of the Parkway Running Club. His favorite charity was Globe Santa, the Boston Globe's annual program which provides presents during the holiday season to underprivileged children in the Boston area. Proceeds from the race go to Globe Santa, as well as the YMCA of Greater Boston's Reach Out campaign, which provides financial assistance to families in need so that their children may access the YMCA's programs. Walter's Run also offers a scholarship, named in honor of Walter Burgess, to send younger runners to a local summer Running Camp.

The cost for entrants is $20 in advance and $25 on race day.