Kids will have the opportunity to participate in a free running event with the fourth annual Scotty’s Pound the Pavement.

Registration for the run will be from 6 to 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Kereiakes Park. The first race will begin at 8 a.m. Free goodie bags and dri-fit shirts will be given to the first 400 kids to register. Awards will be given to the top finishers. To register, visit kobkidsruns.com.

Donations from corporate sponsors will benefit South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block programs.

There will be a 1/2K for kindergarten and under, a 2K for elementary school-age students and a 3K for middle schoolers. Sixth-graders can run in the 2K or 3K.

“We have 2-year-olds registered,” Kids on the Block Executive Director Ashley Reynolds said. “The 1/2K is a good way to introduce it.”

There will be mascots, snacks, water and music. Last year, 325 kids participated, Reynolds said.

“It’s a fun family event,” she said. “We like that it’s become a tradition for the families to come to Pound the Pavement. We want as many kids there as possible so we can expose them to Kids on the Block.”

The race is for everyone, Reynolds said.

“You don’t have to run cross-country to run,” she said. “For a lot of kids this is their first race.”

Reynolds remembers when Pound the Pavement started after Sand in the City stopped.

“Kids on the Block had Sand in the City and it had been a huge success for many years, but we were moving toward wanting more kids to be part of the event. Kentucky has problems with childhood obesity. One of our top four requested programs is Combating Childhood Obesity,” she said. “We wanted every child to have the opportunity to compete and money wouldn’t be a factor for registering kids. Scotty’s was the sponsor for Sand in the City and didn’t skip a beat. It’s great to have their support.”

The longtime co-chairmen were Mike Law and Steve Sutton, Reynolds said.

“Their kids were runners. They both had kids on cross-country teams. They knew how to plan races,” she said. “I’m a runner so I knew how to plan a race. It’s been a good partnership.”

Brenda Zackery, a Kids on the Block board member, fourth-year volunteer and co-chairwoman, said the race helps kids learn things that they may not get talked to about outside of school.

“It helps Kids on the Block get to so many schools throughout southcentral Kentucky. It brings awareness to the community about Kids on the Block and what they do,” she said. “It’s a fun day for the kids. It’s exercise. It gets them outdoors. They always seem to have a really good time.”

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter @bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.