Cowbell 7K

On Saturday, June 8, Akron Promise will host the fourth in its 11-race City Series, the Cowbell 7k, which will highlight historic the newly constructed Summit Lake Trail as well as Akron’s Music Row, Kenmore Boulevard, where guitar shops and percussion are plentiful.

Formerly known as the Rock Me on the Water 7k, the Cowbell 7k is unique not only in its distance but in its combination of natural and urban experiences. The race will kick off at 8 a.m. at the historic Rialto Theatre to the sound of guitars and cow bells. It will continue east on Kenmore Boulevard to the south end of Summit Lake, Summit County’s only glacier lake, where runners will connect to the Towpath via the new $2.5 million Summit Lake Trail. A bridge will take them across the water past Summit Metro Parks’ new Summit Lake Nature Center and Summit Lake Park. Runners will cross the Ohio & Erie Canal via a second bridge and head west, then south along the north side of the lake through a picturesque neighborhood. Runners will experience a slight uphill roll on Kenmore Boulevard which will level out, then head slightly downhill to finish to a bevy of Will Ferrell wannabes cheering them on with more cowbell than the Blue Oyster Cult can shake a drumstick at.

The finishers’ medal will include a literal cowbell: complete with ringer and all. Runners who finish five of the Akron Promise City Series races will receive a specially designed medal by an Akron Artist.