Friday’s .01K run/walk to benefit Hunger Task Force

La Crosse’s 95.7 The Rock bills it “The World’s Shortest Run.”

A block of Pearl St. in downtown La Crosse will be shut down Friday for a Hunger Task Force event.

It’s billed: “The World’s Shortest Run.” 

It’s the 12th Annual St. Patty’s Day .01K run/walk put on by 95.7 The Rock to benefit the La Crosse organization.

The event will close a block of Pearl for an hour and five minutes.

That five minutes is important. It’s how long it takes participants to complete the .01-kilometer course. Or 10 meters. Or 32.8 feet.

The party begins at 6 p.m. The race, at 8 p.m., will be lit with glow sticks. Registration here. Join the Facebook group here.

Doing so now will cost $20 ($25 on Friday) and includes glow sticks, a t-shirt and free green beer at Brothers Bar and Grill.

There is always a lot of appreciation for events like this benefiting the Hunger Task Force.

Executive director Shelly Fortner says the ever-expanding demand is partly why.

“We’re still looking OK,” she said. “However, the next couple of months are going to be a struggle for a lot of people, and so we are going to need to make sure to keep these dontations up so we can meet the need.

“We’ve seen some of the programs that we serve, they’re seeing anywhere from a 25-50 percent increase in clients.”

The Hunger Task Force now supplies 92 organizations in the area with food but it’s this time of the year that’s important.

“We have a really good community effort around the holidays, obviously, and people are thinking about giving at that time,” Fortner said, “but come March and April, those supplies are dwindling.

Fortner says her group’s work would be close to impossible without a steady stream of donations and like The Rock’s .01K.