Photo by: Justin Edmonds
The sun beat out the morning haze as more than 500 legs stretched out for the ninth Annual DUPB Polar Bear Run, which took place Sunday at Washington Park.
Over 250 people paid to compete in the 5K race this year and the competition was diverse in intent and method.
There were serious runners gearing up for a competitive running season. There were speed-walkers; there were people who alternated from walk to jog and who enjoyed the company of their dog as they ambled toward the finish line. There were even two guys in polar bear costumes. One of the mascots actually finished the 3.1 mile race.
A total of 14 groups of participants raced for a top finish in their respective brackets. Runners not affiliated with DU raced against others in their gender and age groups. The DU racers finishing times were divided by gender and into undergraduate, graduate and faculty sections.
The DU student body, both graduate and undergraduate, was well-represented in the race. Several student organizations entered in the race, including DU Club Running and the “Anthropology Armadillos,” who represented Lambda Alpha, the anthropology honor society.
The top two finishers of each racing gruop received a prize. A “Team Spirit” prize was also given to the group with the most participants. That prize went to the “Anthropology Armadillos.”
DU alumnus Kristopher Swygert was the overall winner, with a time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds.
The overall winner of the race received two flight vouchers to anywhere in the country. There was also a plethora of DU athletic gear and bookstore vouchers.
Swygert said that he would be going “somewhere warm” with the flight vouchers. Swygert graduated from DU in 1999 and recalls that he had “too good a time at Winter Carnival” when he was an undergrad. He added that he hoped he helped send some kids up to the mountains so they could have a good time.
The Polar Bear Run was the first event in the annual, weeklong Winter Carnival. The events planned by DUPB will be going on this week on campus and will culminate with two nights and on-mountain events at Steamboat Springs this weekend.
DUPB has made an effort this year to have fewer events, but to make the events “bigger and better,” according to Winter Carnival director Shelby Flora. The decline in student participation in DUPB events was addressed by a DUPB “Change Committee,” which explored ways to pique student interest in the events.
With just over 100 participants in the Polar Bear Run last year, and more than twice that this year, the numbers boost was a good indicator for DUPB. However it was even better news for the students at KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, who will ultimately benefit from the race’s estimated $2,000 profit.
The Sunshine Peak Academy will use the money to help provide free or subsidized lunches for students, pay faculty and take care of other costs that exceed its public funding. The academy teaches fifth through eighth grades and emphasizes character development and early college preparation. The academy’s success has attracted the attention of the DUPB leadership, which then pursued a philanthropic relationship with Sunshine Peak.
