Eden Westside Baptist Church will hosts its first Revelation 5-K Run and 1-Mile Fun Run on Saturday.

The run will start at the church, pass Eden Elementary School, go to Old Wagon Road, pass Fox’s Pizza and end back at the church. This run, or walk, is open to everyone. The 1-Mile Fun Run will cover the campus of the church. Willie Smith, gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, will fire the gun to start the race.

The 5-K Run begins at 8 a.m., and the Fun Run starts at 9 a.m. The top three winners in each race will receive awards, and T-shirts are guaranteed to those who pre-register.

People can register by mail, online at www.edenwestside.org, calling 338-771 or at 7 a.m. the morning of the run. Pre-registration fees are $20 for the 5-K run and $15 for the 1-mile Fun Run. This fee includes a shirt, kids activities, coupons and refreshments.

Proceeds from the run will benefit “Embrace the Vision,” which will help the church’s athletic complex, children’s buildings and existing buildings. Brittney Smith, church member, said, “We are ‘Embracing the Vision’ that God put before our church.”

“You can expect to have a great day with your friends and family, and the best part of it is you are doing something healthy for yourself,” Smith said.

The church hosted a training program for those who needed help getting from the couch to running the 5-K that started Tuesday (March 23). The last training session is Friday from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Lance Bowman, health and wellness minister at Eden Westside, said he sees improvements in his cardiovascular health with the training already. With about 300 people already registered, he said they are expecting close to 400 runners.

“Anyone and everyone, come run with us,” Bowman said. “It’s not just a church thing. It‘s definitely a community-wide invitation.”

After the race, there will be inflatables for children, hotdogs, ice cream, barbecue and other items donated by the church and community.

“We love doing things that are not ‘church only’ events but are community and family friendly, and this run is just that — a fun day for all ages,” Smith said.