Azalea Classic Still Set for Saturday

The 12th annual Azalea Classic will still go on Saturday and organizers are confident the race will be safe.

Race Coordinator Kristi Janzen said Monday she was shocked by the news of explosions at the Boston Marathon, but she believes University Park's race has a solid security plan.

"I think it’s terrible what happened in Boston," Janzen said. "It makes you review your security measures, but ours are really strong."

Janzen, who began organizing the race months ago with a committee, said she just spoke with the University Park Police Monday morning to review the 5K's safety.

"I think here we do have a really good security plan in place already with the CERT Team, University Park Police and Hyattsville Volunteer Fire/EMS," she said.

She said the advantage of Azalea Classic is that the race is promoted to local runners and people know one another.

"I think people would notice if something would be off kilter," Janzen said, adding, "We have no reason to change our plans at this time, we will continue to monitor the news and coordinate with the police department."

Three University Park residents were registered to race in the Boston Marathon as well as one resident from College Park.

For more information on the Azalea Classic go to the race's website.