Calling all Jackasses

KELLOGG — Early registration is now open for the Jackass Half-Marathon & 5K.

It has become one of the biggest events annually in the Silver Valley and for good reason, the Jackass Half-Marathon and 5K filled a need that was previously unknown and plays to the strengths of its organizers.

Event founder and organizer Kelton Enich is excited to announce that this year’s registration will kick off with a hilariously tongue-in-cheek sale that fans of long-distance running will enjoy.

“The best deal of the year will be our 13.1-hour sale that starts at 10:54 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5 and it will run until midnight,” Enich told the News-Press. “We are capping the race at 600 participants again this year and it has sold out the last three years; we do expect it to sell out again.”

Following the initial registration period on Feb. 5, the price will increase incrementally until race day — as long as there are available spaces to register.

The event is hosted by the Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce — an easy partnership due to the audience that the race attracts.

“Last year, 62% of our runners came from out of town and about half of those who came from out of town were traveling from further away than Coeur d’Alene and Spokane,” Enich said. “As an event hosted by the Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce, we are so happy to encourage tourism and out-of-town interest in our community.”

Enich is proud of the success of the race, which has translated into multiple scholarship opportunities from the Jackass group.

“Due to the growing success of last year's race, we are thrilled to be able to offer three $1,500 scholarships to local high school seniors for post-secondary education,” Enich said. “Two of the scholarships will be awarded to exemplary high school volunteers and one will be awarded to a high school runner who has participated in track or cross country.”

The Wallace-to-Kellogg race follows the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, with a brief detour up Big Creek before finishing in uptown Kellogg.

“The only significant change for this year's race at this time will be at the start line,” Enich said. “Instead of allowing a rolling wave window of an hour, we will return to the traditional mass start. Our hope is to get runners and volunteers off the race course earlier in the day so they have more time to hang out at the finish line together. We still plan to have three events in total: the half marathon, the 5K and the kids' (one mile) "marathon" at the finish line.”

As the race draws near, Enich will be hosting Jackass Jaunts — a series of four 5K community fun runs that are free for anyone to participate in. These events are hosted and sponsored by different businesses in the Silver Valley and Coeur d’Alene. After the group run/walk, participants often meet at the hosting business for food and beverages. Dates and locations for these will be announced soon.

The race is a prime opportunity for local businesses to get their products and services in front of a new audience — and the Silver Valley Chamber would love to help them do that.

“We hope to increase exposure to all our supporting businesses and with over 600 runners and 1,000-plus in town over race weekend, there's no better way for people to check them out,” Enich said. “Depending on their sponsorship level, the business’s name or logo will be printed on our swag bags, on our finish line posters, on our mile marker signs, and in numerous social media posts leading up to race day. They will also receive complimentary race entries to run in the 5K or half-marathon.”

To register for the race, become an event sponsor or apply for a scholarship, please visit raceroster.com/events/2023/67170/2023-jackass-half-marathon-and-5k.

Any seniors interested can visit our website for an application. All applications are due on May 1. Any businesses who are interested in sponsoring the race this year can email jackasshalfmarathon@gmail.com.

The Jackass Half-Marathon & 5K is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7.