Lace up your shoes and sip some brews for Nik’s Wish

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Journal
Saturday, March 14, join Nik’s Wish for the 5k Shamrock Beer Run/Walk. Local craft beers will be available for participants and at the party to follow. Dress up to add to the fun.

Sip and sprint (or walk) your way to granting Wishes for young adult cancer warriors. On Saturday, March 14, join Nik’s Wish for the 5k Shamrock Beer Run/Walk. The course, at Rockford Speedway, 9572 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park, boasts five beer pitstops. At each pitstop, sample a three-ounce brew courtesy of one of our local craft beer sponsors: Generations, Granite City, Lena, Pig Minds, and Prairie Street. All registered participants will receive a souvenir beer glass, a Shamrock Beer Run long-sleeve T-shirt, and a medal for completing the course. The race is not timed, but a race-clock is posted so you can check your time. Festivities begin at noon and the Run/Walk starts at 1 p.m. A post-race party, lasting until 4 p.m., will be held indoors, where all five breweries will be set up to serve participants and all who purchase beer tickets.

On race day, the cost to register for the Shamrock Beer Run/Walk will be $60 (must be 21 or older); however, a significant discount is available for those registering in advance. The spectator fee is $20 on race day, but just $10 in advance. Register online at https://nikolasritschelfoundation.org/annual-events/. Beer tickets can be purchased during registration, before the race, and during the party. Proceeds benefit Nik’s Wish, whose mission is to ‘Bring Joy’ to young adults (18 to 24), and their loved ones, fighting cancer.

In March, 2012, Nik Ritschel, battling Synovial Sarcoma, inspired the creation of The Nikolas Ritschel Foundation (a.k.a. Nik’s Wish). Nik’s dying wish was to help other young adult cancer warriors who missed-out on receiving a Wish. They missed-out because they were diagnosed after turning 18, which made them ineligible for Make-A-Wish type programs. Since 2012, Nik’s Wish has granted over 175 wishes in 32 states. The majority of these wishes have been in Northern Illinois and the Chicagoland area. Once a wish is granted, a volunteer Wish Maker works directly with the Wisher and their loved ones to make all the arrangements. This relieves the Wish Family from worrying over all the details, and allows them to focus on their precious, memorable time together enjoying the wish. To learn more about this Rockford-based 501(c)(3) charity, and to see how you can help young adult cancer warriors, please visit our new website at www.NiksWish.org or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NikolasRitschelFoundation/.