EVENT: 288-acre treatment plant transformed into 5K course for wellness, charity #cwc5K

Top male finisher Anthony Raimondo and female finisher
Bella Renaticello

Dozens of runners turned a wastewater treatment plant into a 5K course June 6 and the sights, sounds, and smells of the summer day made memories for all who attended.

The third annual Clean Water Classic 5K, a wellness event and Charity Choice campaign fundraiser, wove its way through the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant in Cuyahoga Heights.

The top male finisher was Anthony Raimondo and the top female finisher was Bella Renaticello who each took home toilet-shaped trophies, because of course they did. See the complete list of runners' times.

More photos after the jump.

WATCH: What a 5K course through a wastewater treatment plant looks like. #cwc5k

On a 280+ acre swath of land in Cuyahoga Heights sits a series of tanks, tunnels, troughs and trails that help clean tens of billions of gallons of water each year.

It's also the site of the Clean Water Classic 5K.

Each year, we host the #cwc5k to promote wellness and support the Charity Choice campaign benefiting local charities. If you haven't participated before, the video above is the high-speed view of the course runners face the morning of the race.

The choice of music flowing through your ear buds that day however is up to you.

EVENTS: The most unique 5K you'll ever run returns June 6. Register today. #cwc5K

We manage more than 480 kilometers of sewer. These 5 may just be the most interesting.

Our annual Clean Water Classic 5K is back for the third year and we're opening the festivities to the public once again, promoting wellness and raising money for our Charity Choice campaign to benefit United Way.

More details are coming soon, but you can register by downloading and completing the form below. Register before June 3 for a discounted $20 rate and the first 100 get a #cwc5K T-shirt as well.

DOWNLOAD A REGISTRATION FORM

The Clean Water Classic, launched first as an employee fundraising initiative, was opened to the public last year as an opportunity to showcase one of the state's largest treatment plants of its kind while promoting wellness and community outreach.

RELATED NEWS

• View the 2014 results
• See what the 5K course looks like from the runner's perspective

LOOK: What a 5K course through a wastewater treatment plant looks like. #cwc5K

If you've ever wondered...

1. what the inside of a 288-acre wastewater treatment plant looks like, or
2. what the five-kilometer course will be like for our Clean Water Classic 5K charity run/walk this weekend, or
3. where you can listen to Bonnie Tyler's Holding out for a hero to pump you for the rest of your day...

then just click Play and take it all in.



This video is the actual 5-kilometer course through our Southerly plant and Environmental & Maintenance Services Center (EMSC) that runners will see Saturday, June 14 for our #cwc5K fundraiser. There's still time to register if you want to be a part of this first-time-ever public event.

You might be surprised at the amount of green you see, the expansive scenery or perhaps at the amount of construction going on. Don't worry, runners won't be competing with dump trucks and fork lifts this Saturday.

Plus, shown here at 400% actual speed, we doubt entrants are going to make it through the course in three minutes.

Special thanks to Kevin Z. for the video clips.

EVENT: Smells like victory. Run a 5K through one of the country's largest wastewater treatment plants June 14

You've never run a 5K like this before.

Join us June 14 for our second annual Cuyahoga River Clean Water Classic #CWC5K, a one-of-a-kind fundraising 5K run/walk through one of the largest wastewater treatment plants of its kind in the country, the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Center in Cuyahoga Heights.

UPDATE 6/20: RESULTS POSTED! Thanks to the dozens of you who joined us June 14. We have now posted all of our results: Overall / Female / Male

Proceeds benefit three local agencies—United Way, Community Shares, and the United Negro College Fund, partners in our annual Charity Choice campaign.

The 2013 Clean Water Classic was open to employees and their families, raising hundreds of dollars for three local charities, and this year's event is open to the public for the first time ever.

RELATED: Video: See the 5K course woven through a 288-acre treatment plant from a runner's perspective