The first annual Crimson Classic 5k will be held Thursday, Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. This non-competitive run will begin on the east side of the Mary Reed Building in the Ritchie Circle and end near the Evans Chapel. The event is open to all faculty, staff and students as well as people of all ability levels. The Crimson Classic encourages members of the DU community to have fun while also promoting wellness. The 5k will end with the Fall Festivus, an event featuring several food options, in order to celebrate wellness.
The event is being hosted in the hope of creating a culture of health at DU, according to Wellness Program Manager Katie Dunker. There is a 1.5 mile option available as an alternative to the full 5k. While this is the first event of its kind sponsored by DU, it is the goal of WELL@DU to host the 5k as an annual event.
The 5k is primarily being organized by the WELL@DU Employee Wellness Program. According to Dunker, the event has been made possible with the support of Provost Gregg Kvistad and Director of Human Resources Amy King. Both Kvistad and King have taken part in training leading up to the 5k and will participate in the run.
Since registration for the event opened Sept. 10, more than 100 participants have signed up. Participants are being encouraged to wear DU apparel or other apparel to represent their student organizations.
“We would love to see a strong representation of students and student organizations, so come decked out in your student org t-shirts,” said Dunker.“We hope this event will evolve and become bigger and bigger each fall as a way to welcome everyone back to the university and let people know that DU is committed to the health and well being of its faculty, staff and students,”
The Crimson Classic is also calling for volunteers to help direct participants during the course and direct car and foot traffic around the course. In addition to this, volunteers will provide assistance with registration. All volunteers will receive organic yellow t-shirts to wear during the event and will be allowed to keep them afterward.
Following the event will be the Fall Festivus. The Festivus is a co-sponsored event by Well@DU, Student Life, The Center for Sustainability, DUPB, USG Sustainability Committee and Sodexo in order to celebrate food, wellness, community and fall, according to Chad King, the university sustainability coordinator. The Festivus will begin at 4:30 p.m.and run until 9:00.
“[The Festivus] is a chance to highlight campus and community groups and what they’ve accomplished, or hope to accomplish this year,” said King. “Fall Festivus and the Crimson Classic 5k grew out of the same planning and the goal to provide an umbrella for early co-programming for student groups, setting an example of ways to collaborate in event planning, ways to align similar goals and missions and bring the DU community together.”
The 5k will end at Fall Festivus, which will include a farmers market, an outdoor bbq, food trucks, bike mechanics classes, an outdoor movie Truck Farm near Aspen Hall including a presentation by the director and tabling by student groups and community organizations.
All runners and walkers in the Crimson Classic will receive sweatbands for their participation. Prospective participants and volunteers can register at www.du.edu/wellness/move/.
