After taking years to develop the ability to walk upright, early man quickly learned to run after setting foot on a primitive beach covered with piping-hot sand and ravenous razor-tooth sand worms. Keep the sand worms at bay with today's Groupon: $18 covers your registration to the Fayette Cares Cotton Pickin' 5K and 1K run/walk and nets a commemorative race t-shirt, a fountain drink, and coupon good for 10% off at Woodbridge General Store during the Cotton Festival immediately following the race. You'll also have your choice of a t-shirt from previous Cotton Pickin' 5K/1K run/walks, a handy zipper cap, or a Cotton Festival shirt or a poster (up to a $41.50 value altogether). This Groupon expires September 11, 2010, the day of the race.

The Cotton Pickin' 5K Run/Walk and 1K Cotton Candy Fun Run benefit Fayette Cares, a non-profit organization, which provides shelter and self-sufficiency training for homelessness prevention, domestic violence intervention, and victim services, in addition to aid for families in economic crisis throughout Fayette County. In addition to the registration, commemorative apparel, and fountain drink, participants will get a goodie bag, healthy snacks, water, and sports drinks to regulate electrolyte levels and send energy-packed glucose to the fierce squirrel jockeys guiding their movements. Uber-focused 5K participants commence purposeful forward motion at 8:30 a.m., whereas laid-back fun runners begin their 1K stroll at 9:30 a.m. Awards will be presented at 10 a.m. at the Cotton Festival on the Somerville Court Square.

Participants will enjoy a scenic route that weaves up and downhill through the quaint byways of Somerville and its historic 180-year-old Somerville Cemetery, the final resting place of local legends and antebellum ancestors. After the race, cool down at the family-friendly Cotton Festival, hosted by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, where 2,000 to 3,000 visitors are expected to take in the car show, beauty pageant, live music, festival fare, and tooth-whittling artisans.

Parking is available at and around the race start, located at First United Methodist Church.