So what makes someone run for 24 hours, as many as 50 times around Lake Nokomis?

Find out Saturday, June 3, when more than 100 runners will compete in the 17^th annual FANS 12 & 24 Hour Races to fund scholarships for local inner-city students. This year, the event is expected to draw a record number of participants, including a number of world-class runners.

Participants run 12- or 24-hour shifts, day and night, around the 2.4-mile lake. The winning runner likely will run about 130 miles, and at least a dozen are expected to log more than 100 miles. The event obviously draws serious runners, but also those less gifted in speed but equally determined to support a worthy cause.

WHAT: FANS 12 & 24 Hour Races

WHEN: Saturday to Sunday, June 3-4

TIME: 8 a.m. to 8 a.m.

WHERE: Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis

PURPOSE: FANS Project Scholarship Fund of Pillsbury United Communities

CONTACT: Colleen Gjerdahl at 612-377-7000 or [email protected]

Pillsbury United Communities created the FANS project in 1989 with a group of sixth-grade students from North and South Minneapolis. To date, 85 FANS students have graduated from high school, and more than $400,000 has been distributed (or earmarked) in post-secondary scholarships for graduates. The project has expanded to more than 80 students operating out of multiple Pillsbury centers in the Twin Cities.

For more information, contact Kelly Popko, event organizer, at (763) 764-2020 or (952) 914-9519. More details also can be found at www.fans24hour.org.