I'm Your Huckleberry 5K (Sponsored by AREC)
We're excited to be hosting another one of our NIGHT races! And this will be our biggest one yet- we've secured more medals and bibs than ever before. Your $20 entry fee will get you this unique "I'm Your Huckleberry" medal and a neat finisher’s bib. This race is in honor of Val Kilmer, who died in April of 2025.
The medal itself is a tribute to two of his most iconic movies: Top Gun (1986) where he played Iceman and Tombstone (1993) where he played Doc Holliday. Kilmer made his final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), reprising his role from the original film. In 2015, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. A tracheal procedure damaged his vocal cords, leaving him unable to speak easily, and he also underwent chemotherapy and two tracheotomies. He released a memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, in 2020 and a documentary titled Val the following year, both about his career and health struggles. He died of pneumonia on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65. Films in which Kilmer appeared grossed more than $3.85 billion worldwide. In 1992, the film critic Roger Ebert remarked, "if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it."
It's not quite an award, but on July 23rd, we'll help Kilmer be a little less unsung by honoring him in our "I'm Your Huckleberry 5K" race. "I'm Your Huckleberry" means "I'm the right person for the job", "I'm the one you're looking for", or "I can handle this." We KNOW you're the right person for the job of running this race and can absolutely handle this 5k!
In addition to the finishers medal, we will also have additional medals for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place male and female to finish.
If you ran last our Earth Day race back in April, you know exactly what’s in store! This is an out-and-back course right on the beach boardwalk alongside the sand and surf. The views are absolutely beautiful. We’ll meet right by the Belmont Brewing Company in Long Beach, at the start of Veterans' Pier, and head out on the beach path for a 5k.
Bib pickup is between 6 pm and 6:30 pm. Afterwards, runners will head inside BBC for food, drink, and laughter. Results will be posted online within 36 hours of the event. This event counts for your Century Club totals, if you're a member of AREC.
