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Arbor Day Celebration

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2024

Westside Park - 1000 S Ware Rd., McAllen, TX, 78501

START YOUR TRAINING for 2024! Walk, Run, and Ride with us as we celebrate Arbor Day in our City.

It is a day when we celebrate nature’s gift of trees, the tall providers of shade, fruit, fun, and a habitat for many different kinds of wildlife.


This Arbor Day, come out and make a difference by helping us continue to establish a dedicated tree planting fund with the money raised at this event! Together, we are making our city greener, cooler, and more beautiful.

EVENT INFO AND PARKING INSTRUCTIONS

Bike Ride:

  • 25Mi/100K Bike Ride starts at 7:30 am
  • Cyclists need to follow all traffic laws
  • Escort and SAG will be provided.
  • Ride starts on Kennedy Avenue next to soccer fields.


Runners:

  • 5K & 10K Events start promptly at 8:00 am
  • Race starts on Kennedy Avenue next to soccer fields.

Kids Fun Run:

  • Run will being after 10K ends at 10:00am


Parking: 

  • Plan to be at event early. First come, first serve. You can use any parking spaces available at Westside Park. Overflow parking will be at the McAllen Convention Center. Please use the crosswalk on Ware Rd and Houston Avenue to enter the park. Road will not be closed but we will have a flagger at the intersection

Event will take place at the Westside Park Soccer Field area, on the southside of the park.


Please watch carefully for pedestrians, cyclists, and runners when you arrive, and when you leave!


DON'T MISS OUR TREE GIVEAWAYS AND TREE WORKSHOPS!!!


PARKING MAPS AND EVENT ROUTES WILL BE UPLOADED ONCE THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

MAPS FOR ARBOR DAY

Event Q&A

  • How do I sign up?

    You can sign up by using the Register Now button or Download Registration Form below and drop it off at the KMB office - 4101 N Bentsen Road.

  • Where and what is a packet pick-up?

    Packet pick up FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS is on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 7:30 am to 7:30pm and Thursday, October 31, 2024 from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Keep McAllen Beautiful Office (4101 N Bentsen Rd).


    Packet pick up is where you will pick up your event packet. The packet will include your bib (with timing chip if you are participating in a timed event) and a t-shirt if you registered before the t-shirt deadline. 


    Don't miss packet pick-up!

  • Will the run and bike ride be timed?

    The 5K/10K Run will be a timed event and you will be issued a timing bib. The 25Mi/100K Bike Ride will not be timed but you do have to finish by 12pm.

  • How long is a 5K/10K Run?

    A 5K run is 3.1 miles and a 10K run is 6.2 miles. Remember you can Run, Walk, or Crawl, just as long as you pass that finish line.

  • What are the different races I can register for?

    • A 10K Run (Timed Event) 
    • A 5K Run (Timed Event) 
    • A 25 Mile Bike Ride (Not a Timed Event) - an escort vehicle and a SAG vehicle will be available
    • A 100K Bike Ride (Not A Timed Event) - an escort vehicle and SAG vehicle will be available.
    • A Kids Fun Run (Not a Timed Event) 

  • Where can I park?

    Plan to be at event early. First come, first serve.


    You can use any parking spaces available at Westside Park. Overflow parking will be at the McAllen Convention Center. Please use the crosswalk on Ware Rd and Houston Avenue to enter the park. Road will not be closed but we will have a flagger at the intersection.

  • Where will the event be held?

    The Arbor Day Celebration will take place at Westside Park (1000 S Ware Rd) soccer field area, on the Southside of the park. Links to maps will be on our website.


    The running and bike routes will be available soon. A tree workshop will also take place at the park for the whole family to participate in

  • Will there be awards?

    Everyone that has a bib number and finishes their event will get a finisher medal.


    We will present 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning medals by age category and an overall award for 1st place 5K and 10K (male and female category).


    25Mi/100K Bike Ride will only get finisher medals because it is just a ride not a race.

ARBOR DAY SPONSORS 2024

MONTEZUMA CYPRESS SPONSOR

WILD OLIVE SPONSOR

TEXAS SABAL PALM SPONSOR

WANT TO BE A 2024 SPONSOR?

DOWNLOAD SPONSOR FORM

ORIGINS OF THE ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION

The Arbor Day Challenge is the brainchild of Mark Kroeze (our previous City of McAllen Forester) and Salvador Alemany (our previous Texas Forest Service Forester). The first Arbor Day “Challenge” took place in 2012, these two helped the City of McAllen put on an Arbor Day Bike Tour and have since come back every year to make it an even bigger and better event.


The second year, the two foresters said, "Hey, what if we made this thing a race? What if we gave people a chance to celebrate Arbor Day with a Criterium so that cyclists could race each other?


The third year, the two foresters and KMB said why not a 25-mile bike tour, a 5K run, or a 10K run and a bike criterium? And what if we added something for families too?"


Thus began the Arbor Day Celebration. Currently, the event features a timed 5K, a timed 10K. The event also features a 25 mile and 100K bike tour (no timer, no pressure) and a Kids 1 Mile Run (kids 12 years and under).


You see, Mark and Salvador love trees, and so does our city, and since Arbor Day is really about celebrating and protecting the trees that make this earth the beautiful blue and green globe that it is, we wanted to do our part to make our community and our world a better, brighter, and healthier place. For that reason, we will also give away trees every year, as well as have the planting of trees in one of our city parks.


So, we want to invite you to be a part of an event that will plant new trees in a public space, give you a city that is greener, cooler, and easier on the eyes, and give you a chance to get out and get active with your community!


Whether you walk, bike, run, ride, or just want to watch, we hope to see you at the Arbor Day Celebration 2023!

WHY ARE TREES IMPORTANT?

Trees have been an important part of our day-to-day lives and give us the different kinds of benefits not only for our environment, but also to our economy, health and society.

LEARN MORE

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