Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, announces that registration is now open for the annual Gaylord Gauntlet 5k Trail and Obstacle Run. More than 1,000 adaptive and able-bodied runners are expected to participate in the Saturday, June 24, 2023 race. Online registration for racers of all abilities aged 12 and over can be completed at www.gaylordgauntlet.org. Proceeds from the ninth annual event will support the Gaylord Sports Association, Connecticut’s largest adaptive sports program, which offers 15 adaptive sports and recreation programs at little or no charge to individuals with physical and visual impairments, including wounded veterans. The Gaylord Gauntlet is the brainchild of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Stephen Holland who stressed that COVID safety measures will be in effect “at all times” throughout the event. “Providing a safe race is our first priority,” he explained, “and we will be working to exceed suggested guidelines from the Department of Public Health.” The Gauntlet will be held entirely on the 400-acre Wallingford campus of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare. The course offers a blend of wooded trail and open field running with 24 natural and man-made obstacles – including a mud pit, fire pit, a rock wall climb, vine swings and a larger-than-life waterslide – to test an athlete’s strength and endurance. Check-in begins at 7:00 a.m. with the initial wave launching at 8:00 a.m. and the final wave launching at 2:00 p.m. The Gauntlet is a rain-or-shine event. All runners will receive a Gaylord Gauntlet t-shirt and a ticket for a free beer or other beverage. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase food from a variety of food trucks in the Gauntlet festival area.