Backwards Bomber 5K set for Saturday

There’s still no telling how many runners will show up for an upcoming late-night jaunt through Iola Saturday.
The first-ever Backwards Bomber 5K — a derivative of the now-defunct Charley Melvin Run — will kick off at 10 p.m. Saturday in front of the courthouse bandstand.
An anonymous group of runners began huddling shortly after Thrive Allen County and Allen County Crime Stoppers announced the Melvin Run was being disbanded.
Because of the intentional lack of organization for the upcoming run, there will be no registration, no fees, no timing devices, no water stations, no T-shirts and no traffic control.
Aside from the route, organizers only ask that runners wear bright clothing and carry flashlights for traffic safety.
The venture has drawn plenty of notice. The group’s Facebook page has amassed nearly 900 friends.
As such, the group has taken note of the interest the Backwards Bomber 5K has received.
“Since the Backwards Bomber Run is 100 percent free to everyone, we thought we would still do our part to make this a beneficial run for the community,” the organizers announced last week on Facebook.
A booth for Hope Unlimited, a local agency that provides assistance to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, will be set up near the bandstand.
In lieu of paying a registration fee, the organizers are asking participants to make a free-will donation to Hope Unlimited.
“They help those in our community when they’re in need,” the Facebook post read. “Now it’s our turn to help them out a bit.”
The plan is to run the old Melvin Run route backward, running from the courthouse square along Jackson Avenue, up to and through Highland Cemetery, and eventually south on Washington Avenue and back to the square. A map of the route has been posted on the group’s Facebook page, although since the run is not an organized event, participants are free to go as far, or use whatever route, they prefer.