On Saturday, the St. Charles River Corridor Foundation hosted the annual Bob Leonard 5K Run and Walk-a-thon in downtown St. Charles. The walk and run start and finish in Pottawatomie Park. The proceeds from the event are used to fund projects that enhance the Fox River in downtown St. Charles. For more information on the event and the River Corridor Foundation, you can click here.
The 5K run began at 8 am and featured over 100 runners of all skill levels and abilities.
The 2.7 mile walk began at 9:30 am and was led by Mayor DeWitte and Joan Leonard. The walk included a brief stop to rededicate the Frank Gorham Canoe Launch, located on the east bank of the Fox River just north of the St. Charles Police Department. Frank served the community as Director of Public Works, owned the engineering firm Robert H. Anderson & Associates, and was a volunteer for the River Corridor Foundation.
The walk also included a stop to dedicate the Bob Leonard Riverwalk, located on the west bank of the Fox River at Indiana Street.
For the second year in a row, I ran in the 5K race. This year’s time was 26 minutes, 54 seconds, which was better than last year, but only good enough for 6th place in my age group. I had a great time at the event and all proceeds went to benefit the enhancement of the wonderful St. Charles riverfront.
Here are some photos of the event:
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- Runners gather after the 5K to hear the results of the race.
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- Mayor DeWitte proclaims the rededication of the Frank Gorham Canoe Launch.
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- The crowd gathers at the Frank Gorham Canoe Launch to hear Mayor DeWitte read a proclamation honoring Frank Gorham’s contributions to the City of St. Charles.
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- This is a mock-up of the bronze plaque that will be placed in the coming weeks.
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- Mayor DeWitte reads a proclamation from the City of St. Charles regarding the dedication of the Bob Leonard Riverwalk.
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- Joe Boyd, President of the St. Charles Kiwanis Club, speaks about the contributions that Bob Leonard made to the community while members of the Leonard family look on.
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- Joan Leonard addresses the crowd that gathered to honor the contributions of her husband at the dedication of the Bob Leonard Riverwalk.
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- Former City employee, St. Charles resident, and Kiwanian Pat Boyle takes a short break on the new bench that was purchased by the St. Charles Kiwanis Club in honor of Bob Leonard.
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- Taking time for a photo after the 5K.
