Save the Light Half-Marathon & 5K
Hit the beach to help local nonprofit Save the Light prevent the circa-1876 Morris Island Lighthouse from being lost to the sea. Winding through Folly Beach, the half marathon and 5K event hopes to draw upwards of 700 runners this year. Folly Beach Pier, 101 E. Artic Ave. Saturday, 7-8am registration/packet pick-up; 8:30am race. $40 half-marathon; $25 5K. (843)633-0099, www.savethelight.org
MESSA 8K for H2O
Lace up your sneakers and join College of Charleston’s Master of Environmental Studies Student Association (MESSA) for this eighth annual 8K run and 5K family walk. All race proceeds go to local nonprofit groups working to preserve and improve water quality in the Charleston area. After an early-morning race down Folly Beach, enjoy food and beverages at the awards ceremony, where the top three winners in each division receive prizes. Holiday Inn, 1 Center St. Saturday, 7:45am packet pick-up; 8am race-day registration; 9am race. $25 8K run; $20 5K walk; before February 20: $20 8K run; $15 5K walk. (803)979-0878, http://spinner.cofc.edu/~messa
Gift of Life 5K/2K Run/Walk
Celebrate the gift of life by joining the Medical University of South Carolina, the only transplant hospital in South Carolina, and LifePoint, the state’s sole organ procurement organization, for this fifth annual event. Runners and walkers alike can join in to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation as well as about South Carolina’s new donor registry. A portion of proceeds will also help send donor families to this summer’s National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wisconsin. James Island County Park, 861 Riverland Dr. Saturday, 9am. $30; $25 before February 22. (800)462-0755, www.lifepoint-sc.org
