CHICAGO, Ill. – Registration is now open for the summer race that turns Chicago into a Big Ten tailgate party. The seventh annual BTN Big 10K and 5K takes place on Sunday, Aug. 12, and returns to the picturesque lakefront along Soldier Field. The first 1,000 runners to register this year will receive a $50 virtual gift card to the BTN Fan Shop on BTN.com to buy their favorite school gear.
Registration starts at $55 for adults for the 10K and $40 for the 5K. For children 12 and under, registration is $25 for the 5K. For all additional information on the BTN Big 10K, visit www.BTNBig10K.com. Those who register will also receive a newly designed, school-specific technical race shirt. The race shirts are available in each of the 14 Big Ten school colors, as well as a general BTN Big 10K shirt.
“The BTN Big10K is for all Big Ten runners – whether this is your first-ever race or you are an experienced runner,” said Erin Harvego, BTN’s vice president of marketing. “We encourage all Big Ten fans to come join us this summer and show your school pride!”
In addition to cash prizes for the top runners, the BTN Big10K will offer Big Ten prizes to runners who show the most school spirit through festive costumes and school-inspired accessories. Every finisher of the 10K or 5k will receive an official BTN Big 10K commemorative medal, which will feature a new design for 2018.
The 10K will once again be followed by a Tailgate Party, which will include music, football-themed games and activities, such as cornhole, field-goal kicking and the 40-yard dash, as well as appearances by Big Ten mascots and cheerleaders. Additionally, the tailgate party will include tents hosted by the Chicago Big Ten Alumni Associations along with food and beverage concessions. Each race finisher 21 and older will receive a free beer.
This year’s BTN Big10K charity partner is ALIVE Rescue, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, founded in March 2008 in Chicago as a rescue and safe haven for animals. ALIVE Rescue works to save, rehabilitate and place abandoned, abused and stray animals. The organization takes in animals – particularly those that are hard to place -- from shelters with high euthanasia rates in Chicago and the surrounding area and provides them with medical, behavioral and physical support.
BTN’s race management company this year is Chicago Event Management, which puts on iconic Chicago races such as the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle and the Girls on the Run 5k.
About Chicago Event Management:
Chicago Event Management (CEM) is an event production company based in Chicago, IL. Since 1996, CEM has worked closely with community partners and leaders in event production to create world-renowned events in the heart of Chicago. At the core of our organization, we believe in sharing best practices, using learnings to create unforgettable experiences and building lasting relationships that lead to new ideas and innovation. To learn more about Chicago Event Management, visit cemevent.com.
About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 1,500 events across all platforms, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. BTN2Go is the digital extension of the Big Ten Network, delivering live games and on-demand programming to Big Ten Network customers via the web, smartphones, and tablets. Events include football, men’s and women’s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events; studio shows; and classic games. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation’s finest universities. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is in more than 60 million homes across the United States and Canada, including carriage by all the major video distributors, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Communications, Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. For additional information, go to www.btn.com.