It's not the tortoise and the hare. It's the tortoise and the tortoise. And, it's on water.
It's the first Annual Turbo Turtle Trek sponsored by the Alexandria-Olympic branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington with an estimated 10,000 rubber Turbo Turtles competing for special prizes.
Sponsorship of the "turtles" will provide funds for the myriad activities of the club, which serves 430 youth annually with everything from special tutoring to computer classes to sports leagues. The goal of this event is to raise $10,000 to support those efforts, according to James Almond, executive director, Alexandria Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
"Each sponsor will be prominently displayed on all the banners and signage at the event as well as being listed in the program. Turtles will also be designated by sponsor and each will carry a number corresponding to that sponsor," Almond said.
The event will be at Lake Cook behind Cameron Run Water Park, 4000 block of Eisenhower Avenue Oct. 29. Activities start at 11 a.m. The turtles begin at one end of the lake, and the first 10 turtles to cross the finish line will win a prize.
"Turtles can be adopted for a $5 donation. Each turtle's number will correspond with an "adopted parent" number. We are not selling the turtles, they are being adopted by sponsors," Almond said.
In addition to the race, the day will be filled with carnival activities, music, giveaways and family events. There will also be a performance by Twirl Factory, according to literature for the event.
"If there is a current in the lake the turtles are set free on their own to 'race' to the opposite shore. If it's still, we use two canoes with swimming pool lane lines to push them within 15 feet of the finish line where they are set free. The first group to reach the shore line are the winners," he said.
The actual race commences at 2 p.m. with the finish scheduled for 30 minutes later. The winner will be announced at approximately 2:45 p.m.
Individual sponsorships are available for a single turtle at $5, a "Mutant Pack" of 10 for $45 and a "Ninja Crew" of 20 for $90.
Corporate sponsorships range from $250 to $5,000. The various levels are $5,000 Ninja Turtle, $2,500 Super Turtle, $1,000 Lucky Turtle, $500 Turbo Turtle, and $250 Snapping Turtle. Each category provides various levels of corporate exposure.
For more information on the event and how to become a sponsor, contact Almond at 703-549-3077 or jalmond@bgcgw.org. Commitments must be received by Oct. 16.