The idea to start an annual New Year’s Day run seemed like a no-brainer for Jenifer Pressley, a member of a local running club and the wellness coordinator at the Jackson County Recreation Department. The big question was what time to hold it.

“We decided on 11 a.m. to give people time to get their coffee in if they were ringing in the New Year the night before but still give people time to get home in time to watch their bowl game,” said Pressley, 28.

Called “Run in 2006,” it is really a 5K walk or run.

“The idea was to give people something where they could say ‘I am going to go out here and run or walk three miles and get my T-shirt and start my New Year’s out on the healthiest foot I can,” Pressley said. “Hopefully, it will become an annual thing.”

While there are hundreds of New Year’s Day runs across the country and largely non-competitive in nature with an emphasis on New Year’s resolutions, none were happening locally, Pressley said. The holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is usually rife with runs, encouraging people to get out and get moving during a season that is otherwise all about eating big meals.

“You have your turkey trots and your reindeer romps. But I couldn’t find anything in the area for New Year’s,” Pressley said.

Lisa Ashe, a rehabilitation counselor in Jackson County, is excited about the opportunity to get off to good start in ’06.

“It is a great way to start out the New Year’s for folks who want to get rid of those extra pounds and start off the year with a bang,” Ashe said. “This is a terrific way to get into a new hobby and join up with our group.”

A “gently-used” running shoe drive will be held at the Run in 2006. As runners and walkers know, running shoes that have maxed their ideal performance for aerobic activity but are hardly worn out tend to pile up.

“I know that I have six pairs of running shoes in my closet with only 300 miles on them,” Pressley said.