By Dee Giles
When it comes to bonding with their parents, most students do not think of running a 5k together on a Saturday morning. But some BYU students will be doing exactly that Sept. 23 at 8 a.m.
As a part of Parents’ Weekend, the Alumni Association will be sponsoring a 5K run that will give students a chance to team up with a parent and run along with other parent/student teams.
Team will be placed into one of two categories, one for the mothers, and one for the fathers, Hendricks said.
Hendricks said the scoring will be much like that of a cross country team, with each competitor receiving points for their place in the race. The parent/student team’s score will then be added together, and the winner will be the team with the lowest point value.
“The top three winners in each division will be given prizes, but everybody will come out of it with something,” Hendricks said. “They’ll all walk away with a bunch of little goodies.”
In addition to the team prizes, there will be individual winners in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
While there will be tangible rewards for all involved, the Alumni Association expects everyone to get something more out of the event than that.
“We thought this would be a fun way for parents to connect to campus and have a little fun while they were doing it,” Hendricks said. “It’s just a great way to start the morning,” Hendricks said.
Annie Edwards, 18, a junior from North Salt Lake majoring in international studies, thinks this run would be a fun experience.
“I used to run with my dad a lot in junior high, so it would be fun to run with him again,” Edwards said.
Her one concern with a race like this would be keeping up with her dad.
“My dad would run a lot faster, so we wouldn’t run together,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ dad is John Edwards, a BYU graduate in economics and an orthopedic surgeon in the Salt Lake area. While attending BYU, Mr. Edwards was a member of the track team.
“I ran the 1/2 mile and the mile,” Mr. Edwards said.
Past experience aside, Mr. Edwards agrees that this race will be a fun opportunity. “I think it would be a blast. I think it would be fun to do anything where you were teamed up with your college-age child.”
Annie Edwards can see another benefit this run. “I’m always saying I’m gonna run a 5K, but then I never do. If I got somebody else to run with me I would be more likely to follow through and be motivated.”
Although this race is the first of its kind, the Alumni Association is expecting a good turnout. Hendricks said they were anticipating about 300 people.
The Alum Run 5K is open to anyone who would like to participate. The cost of participating is $10 for an individual, or $18 for a team of a parent and student if pre-registered. The cost for registering on the day of the event is $12 for an individual, or $20 for a team.
Those interested should register in 3326B WSC before Sept. 22 or register prior to the race at the Richards Building Quad.
For more information about this event contact the Alumni House at 378-7621.
