Red Sneakers Peoria 5K & Teal Pumpkin Festival

Red Sneakers Peoria 5K & Teal Pumpkin Festival is a 5K walk/run held at Tower Park on East Kingman Avenue in Peoria Heights, Illinois. It is the primary annual event for the local Red Sneakers for Food Allergy Awareness initiative, focusing on food allergy education, advocacy, research, and support, not solely on racing performance. The event combines the 5K with Teal Pumpkin activities, offering families food allergy education alongside the run/walk. The Peoria chapter is the first Red Sneakers for Oakley chapter nationally, established through a partnership between Red Sneakers for Oakley and AACE Peoria. Local families affected by food allergies were instrumental in its formation: Lindsey Spangler is the Food Allergy Liaison for the Peoria school district, and both the Spangler and Horan families have children with serious food allergies.