May 16—Online registration for the Joplin Memorial Run, to be staged Saturday morning, will close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

Registration fees currently are $80 for the Freeman half-marathon, $55 for the Sparklight 10K, $40 for the Liberty 5K and $15 for the Sign Designs kids fun run. Register online at joplinmemorialrun.com.

After Wednesday, the final opportunity to register for any of the races will be in person at the packet pickup event from noon to 7 p.m. Friday at the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex, 212 W. Seventh St. The Liberty 5K will increase to $45; all other fees remain the same.

The half-marathon, 10K and 5K races will begin at 6:45 a.m. Saturday at Cunningham Park; the kids' run will begin at 11 a.m. Motorists should prepare for road closures in the area.

The run, a project of Active Lifestyle Events and produced by Rufus Racing, is the city's signature event for commemorating the May 22 tornado and its 161 victims.

Proceeds have benefited tornado relief and recovery efforts as well as other community programs. Over the past decade, run organizers have donated more than $300,000 to rebuild projects, trail improvements, bicycles for schoolchildren and scholarships for YMCA programs.

Most participants will receive a T-shirt, a finisher's medal and more. These items have been designed to commemorate another anniversary — the sesquicentennial, or 150th year, of the city of Joplin — and will highlight major Joplin landmarks and icons.