Meridian High School’s football season is just around the corner, and the Wildcat coaches are hoping to bring some added attention to the program with the inaugural Cats 5K run.

The 5K will take runners from the high school down 32nd and 34th streets, up Grandview Avenue, across on 40th Street, down 29th Avenue and back on 31st Street toward the school’s Ray Stadium. Runners will complete the 5K by making a lap around the school’s track, ending at the 50-yard line.

Registration is $25 per person, and you can register online at meridianfb5k.com, or the morning of the event — Aug. 5 — at 7 a.m. at the school’s multipurpose building, where the race will begin. The event starts at 8:07 a.m. and is an officially timed 5K, with results being posted after the race. Proceeds will go toward the Meridian football program and help with various expenses throughout the school year.

“This is our big fundraiser for the season, and we want it to be like a preseason homecoming,” said Meridian offensive coordinator Archie Gibbs, who is helping to organize the race. “It goes toward the whole season as far as how we feed (the players before games), our travel and the ins and outs of maintaining a successful program.”

Gibbs’ hope is the race will become an annual event after this year.

“We’re really excited to do this,” Gibbs said. “It’s something new, and a lot of high schools don’t do 5Ks. We urge people to show up, and we want it to continue on every year for the rest of Meridian High School football history. It’s our first year, so we’re expecting it to grow as our program grows.”

The 5K is just one of several events going on during what’s been dubbed Big Blue Kickoff Weekend at Meridian. After the 5K, Utah Jazz guard and former Meridian basketball standout Rodney Hood will be hosting his annual basketball camp at 9 a.m. The Meridian slow-pitch softball team will also participate in the Clarkdale softball jamboree at noon against Quitman and at 2 p.m. against Enterprise. 

At the end of the day, Meridian will host its Meet the Wildcats event at 9 p.m., and a midnight football scrimmage will take place starting at 11:55 p.m.

“We were going to do midnight football already, but we wanted to make it a grand event,” Gibbs explained. “We wanted everyone to feed off of the same plate and put on a bigger showcase for the kids.”

If you cannot attend the race but want to contribute to the Meridian football program, a donation option is available on the event’s website.