River Green Run returns to Canton for the second year on May 8 in the River Green community.

This year, the race, which includes a 5K run, a one-mile walk and a one- mile fun run, will raise money for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

John Rust, River Green resident and the event's organizer, said he hopes the run will inspire children to live active lifestyles.

"It's so important to teach your children about the value and quality of exercise," he said. "There's more to life than video games and talking on the phone."

Last year's overall 5K winner David Lloyd agreed, saying his favorite thing about participating last year was seeing his young cousins take part in the race.

"After watching us run the 5K, they were excited about the fun run," he said. "It was neat to see the running bug passed onto the younger crowd."

Coming in under 18 minutes last year, Lloyd said he is looking forward to going for the gold again this year.

"I haven't been running much lately, but I think I have a fighting chance," he said. "But it's just fun to get out there and run fast on the same roads I run every day."

Last year's female winner, Kari Beard said she is stilldeciding if she is going to try to win again this year.

"I have friends and family who are new to the sport that are doing the race this year, so part of me wants to stay back and encourage them to keep going," she said. "But at the same time, I feel like I'm going to get really competitive on race day."

Ms. Beard, who runs about 15 hours a week, said part of the reason she stays active is to set a positive example for her children and other family members.

The run provides a great example for this young community of families, she said.

The race has been certified as a Peachtree Road Race qualifier this year, which Rust said will bring out a new crowd of runners.

"There are hundreds of races in the Atlanta-area, and only a small percentage qualifies," he said. "I feel like we're going to get more people from a lot of different communities this year."

Parking will be at Joseph Knox Elementary School at 151 Riverbend Way in Canton with shuttle service to the starting line.

The 5K and the one-mile run will begin at 8 a.m., and the fun run starts at 9 a.m.

The cost to register is $20 for each runner, $15 for each walker and $10 for each fun run participant.