Photo courtesy of GBAC.
The 2016 Aubie 5K will be the second in honor of Meredith Maddox.
The third annual Aubie 5K and 1-mile fun run is set for June 25.
Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club, this will be the second year the event is held in memory of former Hoover High School track coach Meredith Maddox.
Maddox remained active in GBAC with her family even though she did not graduate from Auburn University. Her father, Elon Maddox, was president of the club at the time of Maddox’s death in March 2015, and the club chose to hold the event in her honor that year.
During her time as a track coach, Maddox influenced several students and athletes through her encouragement and ability to overcome obstacles, including using a wheelchair following a car wreck in 2000, said GBAC member Jason Bryant.
“She had just been a really big inspiration to a lot of folks,” he said.
Maddox’s influence will continue through this race, Bryant said. Proceeds from the race go to the GBAC Meredith LeAnn Maddox Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which supports academically gifted students who want to attend Auburn University, according to the GBAC website.
In addition to the 5K and fun run, there will be kid-friendly activities such as a moon bounce and balloons. The event will be at Veterans Park, which Bryant said makes a good event space for morning events. “It really works well to bring your kids, bring your family and have fun at the park that day,” he said.
There will also be food vendors and giveaways, Bryant said, and they are working to make sure Aubie and former Auburn athletes can attend.
The cost for the 5K is $35 when postmarked before June 19, and it goes up to $40 between June 20 and race day. The fun run is $20 for adults and $10 for kids ages 12 and younger.
“It will be just a big Auburn family get-together, and a fun day for folks that like to run or even folks who want to walk the 5K,” Bryant said.
Aubie 5K and 1-mile fun run
- WHERE: Veterans Park
- WHEN: June 25 at 8 a.m.
- WEB: thegbac.org/2016-aubie-5k/
