PEORIA, Ill. – A summer tradition in Peoria is getting a fresh look after running through the city’s streets for 50 years.
Organizers of the Steamboat Classic announced on Monday a new look, and new events surrounding the event.
The rebranding includes a new logo with a compass and the words “Steamboat Classic” with 4M and 15K flanking it. Organizers have also started referring to the event as “SC415.” The event will have a presenting sponsor with PNC Bank.
Race Director Adam White says keeping the event named the Steamboat Classic was important.
“That’s what everybody knows it as,” White said. “You go and you talk to runners, you talk to members of the community, and it’s known as Steamboat.”
New for the Steamboat Classic this year is a national championship race. The event will host for the first time the US Track and Field 4 Mile Championships.
The championships will take the best 40 men and 40 women runners from across the country and run the course, before the rest of the field takes off. White says runners that are Olympic-caliber will be part of the championship field.
The total prize money available for the Elite runners and race winners this year will be $50,000.
Also new this year is an initiative to try and get more people participating in the races, by removing a barrier to compete. Organizers are introducing a Pay What You Can option for registration entry fees, with a focus on low-to-moderate income households.
White says those who take advantage of it can sign up at no cost, or whatever they have available to them. The remaining amount of the fees are covered by donations.
RC Outfitters is donating $3,000 for the PWYC effort, with White hopeful to receive another $3,000 in donations. He says the total amount can cover around 150 runners for this year.
Steamboat Classic organizers are introducing events that will take place throughout the year. One of those is a Training Tour and Community Runs, in the build up to the Classic. The runs will highlight neighborhoods throughout Peoria and their historical significance. Participants can earn prizes.
This year’s event will introduce for the first time the “SC415 Cause for Celebration,” which highlights accomplishments in the sport of running. White says this year’s theme will focus on women in running, and honor central Illinois native Bev Enslow, who has participated in all 50 Steamboat Classic runs. The celebration will also feature elite women athletes in panel discussions during race week.
The 51st edition of the Steamboat Classic will take place on June 14th.
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