The Third Annual Dirty Dog 5K Trail Run, the fourth and final run in this year’s Second Sole Trail Run Series, takes place at Cedar Creek Preserve in Northwood on October 29.

What is the difference between this five kilometer race and others? You can bring your dog along, or, don’t bring your dog along. It’s your choice.

“I like to run all the time, and every once in a while I like to take (my dog) along to run,” organizer Mark Beck said. “It just seems like you ought to be able to take your dog along to run once in a while.”

Sometimes it’s the dogs that get all the attention.

“Last year we had a family here and they were kind of cheering their dog on, and I had a friend here with a dog, and he didn’t get any support — the dog was getting all the support,” Beck said.

The 5K is a fundraiser for the Wood and Lucas County humane societies. The idea was kicked around by his family before Beck got involved in organizing the event.

“The two dogs that we have are both kind of rescue dogs, and my daughter has one, too, but she’s a little bit older. My son has one, too, so there are really a number of them in the family. We see kind of a need to support the humane society. That’s why we thought we’d do this, and people can bring their pets along to join us. It’s a smaller run and sometimes I take my dogs along, sometimes I say, ‘No dogs.’ We give the opportunity to let people do what they’d like to.”

There are categories for human racers, including males and females under 10 years old, 11-20, 21-30, 41-50, 51-60, and over 60. There are also categories for the canines, including ages five and under, 6-10, and over 10 years old. The dog must be on a leash, by the way.

The course is stone, grass, and dirt contained inside the park. If you and your canine win, don’t expect much.

“We have dog categories down there, but I try to keep it very casual,” Beck said. “Some of the runs are relatively expensive to get into, so I try to keep the costs down on this. I stayed away from prizes and awards and things like that because it’s a lot of money and I’d have all this junk (trophies) around here, and I’d be like, ‘Well, what do you I do with this now?’”

Is it going to be a problem if your dog is not used to running alongside others. Could be. That’s why Beck gives some advice.

“You get pretty used to it,” Beck said. “That’s the thing with dogs, I’ve been running with dogs probably about 30 years or so and it just seems like a natural thing now. They do slow you up a little a lot of times. The important thing is not to get them tangled up with anybody else. You need to have your dog fairly used to being on the leash and being around people to keep it relatively safe.

“If your dog hasn’t raced before, once in a while, it can be difficult. A lot of people, the dog owners, tend to recognize if the pet is a problem and they tend to start at the back of the group and there is less trouble. We really haven’t had many problems with people running with their dogs over the years.”

Beck, an avid runner who races a few times each year without his dog, said two years ago there were 58 entries for the Dirty Dog, but last year it dropped to 30.

“Last year was an incredibly foggy day and there were two other races on this side of town on the same day, so we had a pretty light turnout last year,” he said.

The first year the Dirty Dog Trail Run was held in December. The temperature was 17 degrees. He said even in October it could get cold, so since his home is adjacent to the park, Beck plans to light a campfire in his backyard if anyone needs to get warm.

A volunteer at the park, Beck says it’s about Cedar Creek Preserve, too. A member of the Wood County Park District, the preserve is 42 acres on Walbridge Road with restrooms, a playground, hiking trails, and picnic area.

“In the last couple years, they’ve really put some effort into doing some things over here and it’s really come along. The park people have been very supportive. The rangers have done a nice job, but it’s just kind of a little bit underused and it would be more fun if a lot more people walk in and go back to the playground area a little more,” Beck said.

“All we ask is for people to just come over and have some fun. It’s for the park, too. A lot of people don’t recognize that this is over here. It’s very nice. The Wood County Parks have done a wonderful job.”

Race registration starts at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K begins at 9 a.m. Entry fee is $7.50 without a t-shirt or $16 with t-shirt if registration is mailed by October 15. The fee is $10 on race day without a t-shirt, and an extra $10 on race day for a t-shirt, if available. Contact Beck at 419-367-1917 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed