Spa 10K in Hot Springs

If you are looking for a bit of running action, the popular Spa 10K is this weekend (November 17) in Hot Springs. The course takes runners through downtown Hot Springs and by landmarks like Bathhouse Row, a collection of eight architecturally significant bathhouses, most of which were built between 1912 and 1923. The route goes up West Mountain where the winding road goes through mixed hardwoods and the Quapaw-Prospect Historic District.

A kid’s Spa Squirt 1 mile race is held in conjunction with the Spa 10K and 5K race and is for kids 2 – 10 years of age. A new start and finish location for the Spa Squirt is in front of the Embassy Suites on Convention Blvd. For an added incentive, the first 600 racers to sign up for the event get a long-sleeve technical t-shirt. There will also be live music along the course. The 10K/5K race starts at 8 a.m. ( the race start is 1 block east of the convention center) and the Spa Squirt starts at 9:45 a.m. I will be at the race so be sure to say hi if you are there!

As to a bit about the area, Hot Springs National Park is the smallest and oldest of the parks in the National Park System. It dates back to 1832 when Congress established, 40 years ahead of Yellowstone, the first federally protected area in the nation’s history. Hot Springs Reservation, which was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921, was created to protect the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs on the southwestern slope of Hot Springs Mountain.

For more information on the event call 501-318-1003 or check out www.arspapacers.com. The photo above is from the Spa 10K site.