Chamber to offer Run The Dam race

The local chamber of commerce will offer three runs and a walk on Colorama Saturday, all featuring a route over the Grand Coulee Dam.

The Run The Dam will take place the Saturday of Colorama weekend, May 10. It will feature 5-kilometer, 10K and half marathon runs, plus a “Walk the Dam — Build a Gym” fundraiser for the local school district.

The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber is promoting the run as part of the Colorama Festival.

Formerly known as The Over the Dam Run and last year as That Dam Run, the new event will be managed by chamber member ButtonIt, a graphics shop. Richard and Mandy Button offered to take on the project for the chamber after an independent contractor that had run it the last couple years wanted to change it to a fall event, hoping more volunteers would be available then.

Buttons think they’ll need about 20 volunteers for the race, which will feature altered routes.

Volunteers will get a swag package that includes coats and hats to wear the day of the race. Richard Button said community members are responding positively, with several offering to volunteer or sponsor the event.

The routes will all start at the east side of Grand Coulee Dam, then cross the dam. The runs will end up at a North Dam Park finish line, with longer runs heading down Banks Lake along highway 155 and back.

Mandy Button said the routes will feature lots of directional signage to make it clear to runners which way to go.

“We’re making some good changes,” Mandy Button said. “I think people are going to be happy with it.”

The event has a sign-up website that offers event registration and details, hats, coats and T-shirts at runthedam.com.