Local students and area firefighters alike will benefit from proceeds of the inaugural Run Eddie Run 5K, scheduled for 8 a.m. July 18.

The event is a joint project of the Edwardsburg Public Schools Foundation and the Edwardsburg Fire Department Auxiliary.  The registration fee until July 15 is $20 with a $2.95 signup fee and registrants will receive a t-shirt, a gift bag from sponsors and race information.

After July 15 until the race, the registration fee will be $25. Late registrants will not receive a t-shirt but are guaranteed a gift bag.

Online registration is at the Run Eddie Run 5K Facebook page or at the website https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Edwardsburg/RunEddieRun5K.

Age groups are listed online. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be provided to winners in each age group.

The race will begin and end at Leo Hoffman Field at Edwardsburg High School and wind through the Village of Edwardsburg. There also will be a 1K fun walk at 8:15 a.m. in a cordoned off area between the high school and the Edwardsburg Middle School. There is no entry fee for the walk and no medals will be given.

Monies raised will be shared between the EPS Foundation and the fire auxiliary. The foundation provides scholarships for graduating Edwardsburg seniors and grants across the Edwardsburg school district. The Edwardsburg Fire Auxiliary provides ongoing support to the fire department on the scenes of fires and through fundraising efforts.

The race will be chip timed, a digital form of timing with sensors attached to the runners’ bibs.

Registration packets can be picked up the night before the race and registrants can run the course as a warm-up. On race day, runners can begin arriving at 7 a.m.

A warm-up will be conducted by Yamafit from Adamsville. Healthy snacks and water will be provided during the race and the Edwardsburg Ambulance will the on-site.

The Edwardsburg Fire Department operates a health and wellness program for its crew and is challenging firefighters from surrounding area fire departments to enter the race and run in their gear. Citing studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the International Association of FireFighters reports that heart attacks account for 45 percent of all work-related deaths among firefighters. Lack of physical fitness and job stress are listed among contributing factors.