When the Manatawny Athletic Club was founded in 2022 by Daniel Price and Carina Hatfield, their mission was centered on helping people of varying athletic and fitness levels engage in healthy lifestyles.
“We pursue this goal through planning and sponsoring various fitness-oriented events around running, walking, swimming and biking,” said Daniel Price, who is also a certified running coach through Road Runners Club of America.
“These events cultivate community; provide supportive, judgment-free accountability; and facilitate fun for people of all ages.”
Record-breaking participation
Both Price and Hatfield are Pottsgrove Senior High School alumni, so the first event they got involved with was the annual Toss Your Turkey 5K, which most recently took place on Thanksgiving Day with a record-breaking participation of 700 entrants.
“The year we started Manatawny Athletic and were looking to support events in the community, we felt it was a natural fit for us to join and help run and promote Toss Your Turkey,” Price said. “This race not only benefits students of our alma mater, but also provides food to local nonprofits during the holidays, which is a very important mission to us.”
Get together and be active
Hatfield and Price are also active runners who participate in a wide variety of races annually.
“The runs during the holidays are inspiring because it’s a fun way for families and people coming back to the area to get together and be active,” Price said.
“It’s also motivational to see a lot of new runners or people getting back into running, participating.”Polar Run 5K and Walk
For the past three years, Manatawny Athletic has hosted the Polar Run 5k and Walk at Riverfront Park in Pottstown on New Year’s Day.
“This event happens within the hour after the Polar Plunge at Riverfront Park with the Pottstown Parks & Recreation Department,” he said. “As we’ve seen participation grow in both separate events, this year we decided to add a fun option: The Inaugural Polar Triathlon.”
This involves participating in the Polar Plunge, followed by eating a hot dog with Sauerkraut, and then participating in the 5K. A portion of the proceeds of this event goes to the Pottstown Parks & Recreation Department.
To find out more about the third annual Polar Bear Run, Walk and Triathlon, and to register, visit www.runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pottstown/PottstownPolarRun
