Runners, walkers, and anyone concerned about the drug problem in Porter
County: the fourth annual Manda’s Race, a 5K race and 5K non-competitive
walk, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Westchester Intermediate
School at 1050 S. Fifth St.
Manda’s Race—a Gold Cup Series event—is sponsored by the Community Action
Drug Coalition (CADC) and is named for Manda Spitler, who died in 2002 of
heroin addiction.
It’s a “race/walk with an extremely serious cause—fighting drug addiction,”
CADC says. “But Manda loved Halloween, so be zany, crazy, looney, deranged,
nutty, daft, possessed, odd, screwy, wacky, and goofy. We encourage
costumes—the better ones win prizes.”
The course: paved city streets with a mild upgrade, mostly in Mile 2, a fast
course with excellent traffic control provided by the Chesterton Police
Department. Turns will be clearly marked and manned with course marshals.
Water at the half-way point and finish. Porter County Sheriff Dave Lain will
start the race with a car confiscated from a drug dealer.
Age groups: 18 of them, beginning with 0-8 and ending with 80+.
Awards: top male and female overall; top male and female masters; top three
finishers in each age group; Clydesdale (190 lbs. and over), one award;
Athena (150 lbs. and over), one award.
Door prizes: as always, sweet door prizes at race’s end, but you’ve got to
be present to win.
Pre-registration, by Saturday, Oct. 15:
•On line at THtiming.com
•By mail: Community Action Drug Coalition, P.O. Box 2421, Valparaiso, IN
46384.
•Pre-registration fee of $18 by Oct. 15.
•After Oct. 15 and on Race Day, $20.
•Striders get a $2 discount.
Manda’s Race is a family event, so families of up to four pay $44 and those
of five or more pay $55.
Make checks payable to Community Action Drug Coalition, P.O. Box 2421,
Valparaiso, IN 46384.
The Problem
So far this year, Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris has reported 12
suspected or confirmed heroin-related deaths, three of them in Duneland.
There were 18 such deaths reported in 2010, only one fewer than the 19
reported in the previous two years combined.