There are lots of 5K events every year in the Chicago area. But there are not many that require runners to climb a mountain of hay bales or navigate their way through car tires or crawl under a low-slung net.
The Brookfield Chamber of Commerce will host its second annual Brookfield Insanity Run on Saturday, June 23, an event which organizers say is expected to draw 300 competitors this year.
The Insanity Run starts at 8 a.m., with Kiwanis Park serving as both the start and finish line. Event organizer Brian Sharenow, a Brookfield resident and owner of FMG Events, said the event is a fun way to introduce people to the village.
“Our company runs events like these all over the country,” Sharenow said, “And this is something that with the help of the chamber we want to make a staple event for the town and people of Brookfield. There used to be a great yearly Mother’s Day run a while ago, and we want to bring something like this back. This is not only for the people of Brookfield, but to bring other people into the town of Brookfield and introduce them to the community.”
Portions of several streets in central Brookfield north of the railroad tracks will be closed to traffic during the event, including Washington, McCormick, Brookfield, Broadway, Lincoln, Southview, Harrison and Sunnyside avenues.
Leading up to the event, there will be music to warm-up the contestants, and following the competition the Insane Irish Post Race Party will be held at Irish Times Pub & Restaurant, 8869 Burlington Ave. The awards ceremony will take place at the post-race party.
This year the event has added three more obstacles and has been expanded to a little bit longer than a 5K, making it a little more challenging. The Insanity Run has more than doubled its number of participants from last year, said Sharenow, who is expecting more people to register on the day of the event. More information is available online at www.insanityrun.com.
All proceeds from the race will benefit the Brookfield social services agency Community Support Services.
