The concentrated group of athletes who will run on any terrain, any time, any place have reason to celebrate. Tomorrow morning Poulsbo Running is sponsoring a 5k (3.1 mile) fun run in Port Gamble to benefit the Save Our Pool cause. To find the race, according to the flier, head out to Port Gamble and start following the signs.

Entry fee is $20 before the race and $25 the day of. Registration forms are available at Poulsbo Running, which shares a parking lot with Central Market.

This event is just one piece of the complicated puzzle proponents of the North Kitsap Community Pool have thrown together in the past few weeks. The group’s goal is to raise $350,000 to cover the cost of keeping the pool open for one more year.

The ginormous effort began when the North Kitsap School District’s board of directors made it clear there simply wasn’t any breathing room in the budget to fund the pool’s operation in the upcoming fiscal year.

It’s a situation playing out nationwide: School districts are facing more mandates and less funding but are expected to continue meeting every student’s needs.

Is it fair? No.

Is it even rational? No.

Is there anything that can be done about it that doesn’t involve pulling more out of the taxpayers’ pockets? No.

And, quite honestly, taxpayers probably wouldn’t be racing for their checkbooks, eagerly writing out checks for higher taxes.

The school district has been backed into a financial corner and next year’s budget is well, just depressing. Programs — some of which only serve a small student population but are important nonetheless — are being hacked.

School resource officers? Gone.

Extra curricular programs? Less funding.

Activity buses? Less funding.

Just about the only thing there won’t be less of are students in each classroom. Yes, as a result of funding, class sizes, too are affected.

Advocates of the pool, however, are pushing back.

They’ve (admirably) been quite vocal about their love of the community resource for which they are fighting. To draw attention to the pool’s plight, they’ve spoken out at school board meetings — quite eloquently, it should be added — and asked Poulsbo City Council to help out. This determined group of folks have a Terminator-like focus and likely will not stop until their goal is met.

What, exactly is at stake? The loss of a community resource, for starters. Dozens of jobs will disappear. Yes, some of them are part time, but in these trying economic times, every penny counts in every household.

The loss of a community pool will have the hardest effect on the children.

Hundreds of children throughout the North End have fallen in love with swimming right there at the NK pool. In a community surrounded by water, swimming is a necessary life skill that, if not learned, can have devastating effects. So yes, having an accessible community pool to teach water safety and basic swimming is a safety issue.

Randy Borek, who’s spearheading the effort to raise the operational funds to give the pool a stay of execution, has become a household name of sorts.

As an accountant, he likely knows a thing or three about finances and how to raise them. To date, the organization has raised about $30,000. This includes a donation of more than $5,000 from the S’Klallam tribe and several personal donations of more than $1,000.

And the push hits the dirt at 9 a.m. tomorrow in Port Gamble. If the thought of running three miles is too much, walkers are also welcome.

Lace up your shoes and head out to the trail. It’s an easy way to support a good cause.

The pity of the matter is, yes, a pool is a valuable community resource. But when it comes down to it, the school district’s primary responsibility lies in educating children and their budget priorities have to reflect that.

Any way about it, no matter what the decision is, somebody’s going to be unhappy.