New Canaan New Balance Ready for 5th Annual All Out for Autism 5K

After an anticipated 800-plus people hit the town for a night of free food and fun for New Canaan's annual Taste of the Town Stroll Thursday, some are going to want to work off all that extra food. And what better cause to strap on those running shoes than for the also-annual All Out for Autism 5K. 

The fifth annual foot race begins at 6 p.m. out front of the New Balance New Canaan at 128 Main Street and the race already has numbers improved over last year. 

"We have 320 people preregistered," said Ron Rosenfeld, New Balance Fit Specialist. "We're way ahead of last year. and last year, we had over 100 day-of registrations."

Rosenfeld co-founded the event with his wife, Tina, after meeting a number of customers who came into the store on the autism spectrum. They also have sponsored a number of events as owners of Athlete's Foot on Summer Street in Stamford for 25 years. In August of 2009, the first All Out for Autism race was held with the partnership of the Special Education Network of New Canaan.  

"We'll be donating $10,000 to the YMCA for their special needs program and all the money raised in addition will go to a playground for special needs children," he said. 

Walter Stewarts Market will be providing water for the event, and there will be tasty treats provided by Joe's Pizzeria. Everything kicks off at 6 p.m. out front of the store with a warm-up Zumba class presented by the YMCA and a stretch class hosted by Oxygen Fitness. 

At 6:10 p.m., the Bruegger's Bagels, Joe's Pizzeria and New Balance mascots will have a footrace, followed by a children's quarter-mile race at 6:15 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the 5K kicks off. 

Prizes are awarded for the first, second and third place finishers for men and women, and the top three winners are named for each of the following age groups: Under 15, 16-to-19, 20-to-29, 30-to-39, 40-to-49, 50-to-59, 60-and-over. 

To see all of the sponsors for the race, click here. To register, click here. To donate, click here.