Super Run returns to Las Vegas this weekend

Caped superheroes will be on the run Saturday at Sunset Park, raising money for two local charities.

The Super Run, which brands itself as a “national series of 5K running events that partners with nonprofit organizations to put on super-hero themed events to raise funds and awareness for their cause,” returns to Las Vegas this weekend.

Many of these causes are children’s charities, though Michelle Kinville, general manager of the Super Run, said the group would partner with any nonprofit trying to raise money.

This year, the Super Run has partnered with Nevada Homes for Youth for the third consecutive year and Nevada PEP, a nonprofit that “provides information, services and training to Nevada families of children with disabilities, including those who are at risk or who have serious emotional disturbances and their service providers.”

This is the first year partnering with Nevada PEP.

“We’re growing, and we kind of grow in every aspect, it’s not only participants, but we hope to bring on more and more charities every year,” Kinville said. “That’s definitely a huge goal of ours.”

Superfly Running’s sister company, Superfly Kids, makes cause capes, which is where the idea for the Super Run came from.

“We would take the capes to hospitals, children’s hospitals and give them to the kids, and they’re fighting cancer, fighting whatever disease they have, and then in 2015, our boss said that he wanted to start a charity run to attach to,” Kinville said.

The race has taken off from there and spread across the country.

The Super Run also will host races this month in Tampa, Florida; San Jose, California; Charleston, South Carolina; and Orlando, Florida.

“We have three charity partners that are national partners of ours, and then in addition, we seek out smaller community charities that are in the cities that we’re dealing with and we get them on board,” Kinville said. “They partner with us on the run. They provide us with volunteers. We provide them with a platform for the charity to raise funds for certain and also to bring awareness for their cause to that particular community.”

This year, in addition to adding another charity, the number of participants should increase for the race.

In 2015, about 415 people ran in Las Vegas. Last year, it was 801. This year, it is projected to be about 850.

Registration will remain open until race day. Runners can register for $40 until race day. The cost is $45 on Saturday.

“We’re definitely excited to be back to Vegas,” Kinville said. “We love it there and definitely will be back there next year as well.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.