Sports Shorts

The Clifton T. Barkalow PTO, Freehold Township, will hold a 5K race on Saturday, May 31, starting at 10 a.m. at the township's Turkey Swamp Park.

This is the first Blue Jay 5K run/walk and is being managed by the Freehold Area Running Club (FARC), according to race director Jan Caputo, a sixth-grade language arts teacher and cross country coach at Barkalow.

The race is designed to encourage physical fitness and to appeal to all ages and levels: the competitive racer, the firsttime runner and the fitness walker.

The race will feature T-shirts designed by a Barkalow student (a contest was held in the beginning ofApril); refreshments; a scenic, flat course in Turkey Swamp Park; prizes (with extra awards for young runners); and a raffle for all participants. One of the race sponsors, Sportcraft, of Mount Olive in Morris County, has donated 11 of its products - treadmills, elliptical machines, foosball and air hockey tables, and bocce sets - as prizes for the post-race raffle.

Entry fee is $20 before May 21, and $15 for students 18 and under. After May 21, the registration fee is $25 and T-shirts are not guaranteed. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. on race day.

For more information and an application, go to the Web site http://cliftontbarkalow. freeholdtwp.nj.k12us.com/JCap uto.