By Janet Cruz

This year’s Havasu Half Marathon event shirt, is getting a makeover  by one Lake Havasu City teen who recently won an art contest hosted by the Healthy Striders, in partnership with Pam Reinke’s Art Studio.

“This is our third year doing the half marathon, and it was time for an event shirt re-design. I always followed Pam Reinke’s classes on Facebook, and saw how talented her kids were so I thought maybe they can run a contest and let the kids design it,” said Healthy Striders Facilitator Linda Scoles. “It just went from there.”

The Pam Reinke Art studio offers adult and kid art classes classes K – 6 art education, Hailey Bluestone has been taking classes for more than two years and learned about the contest through Reinke.

Other students in her class, participated in the contest and in the end, the winning entry was a design created by 10th-grader Bluestone.

Hailey Bluestone posing by the London Bridge with her design / photo by Linda Scoles

“I thought it was a really good opportunity and I was excited about it,” Bluestone said. “In the design, I wanted to incorporate the bridge and something  of Havasu, so I added cupcake mountain, the London Bridge and our purple mountains, because I love our mountains here.”

Before students began creating their design, they had to follow a few guidelines set by Healthy Striders Committee members which included keeping the wording on the shirt with the phrases “Havasu Half” and “Run like You Mean It,” and from there students were free to design their logo around them.

“I got notified that Hailey’s design was chosen by Pam Reinke and we ended up meeting with the Healthy Striders under the bridge where she was awarded her prize,”  Bluestone’s parent Angela Bluestone said. ” I will be signing up to walk along with others to get my hands on a shirt.”

Bluestone was awarded $100 and a gift basket filled with candy and other goodies for her winning submission.

Hailey Bluestone with committee members, Jan Klatt, Amanda Pena, Suzie Serano, Healthy Striders Facilitator Linda Scoles and Vilma Urbina/ photo submitted by Linda Scoles

Want to get a shirt? Register online for the upcoming Havasu Half Marathon and 5k Run. There will also be a 3k Doggie Dash the day before the marathon for dog owners and their furry friends on April 14, at 6:30 p.m.

The Havasu Healthy Striders (originally the Havasu Health Walk Challenge) is a group under the umbrella of the Community Health Foundation whose goal is to motivate people to get healthy, get exercise by walking and also raise funds by hosting walking events such as the Havasu Half Marathon Walk and 5k run, Jingle Bell Walk and others.

To register for the Havasu Half Marathon and 5k Run,https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/?

The Half Marathon will take place April 15 at 6 a.m., and the 5K will start at 9 a.m. All events start and finish at London Bridge Beach.If you would like to do both, you may also sign up for the Lighthouse Challenge where participants will receive a bonus medal in addition to the 5K and Half Marathon medals. If you can’t make it in person, there is a virtual option.
For more event information, visit http://runhavasu.com/