Hundreds of runners gathered at the Clarence F. Robison Track on Oct. 12 for BYU’s Homecoming Cougar Run.
The Cougar Run began with short runs for children and ended with a 5k that took participants through a new route on the BYU campus.
“(The course) did have to change a bit,” Cougar Run committee member Iain Hunter said. “It's changed a few times over the years. Maybe it’s another activity going on on the same day or some road closure or construction happening. This year it’s because of some construction going on.”
Hunter said his experience with USA Track and Field has helped the committee improve the experience every year.
“Going to a lot of meets helps a lot because you’re observing things and thinking, ‘Oh, look what they're doing with the scoreboard here, maybe we can integrate that into what we do,’ or ‘I don't like what they're doing with the scoreboard, here’s something we can do better,’” he said.
The 5k kicked off with a blast from George Q, the BYU Army ROTC’s cannon.
Jamison Cartwright placed first, with a time of just under 16 minutes. Henry Baun, a freshman at BYU, ran in a Spider-Man costume.
“This is my first year. I'm a freshman at BYU and just wanted to have fun,” he said. “We just put on a suit, ran hard, had a blast.”
The course itself wound through BYU campus. Baun said the hardest part was the packed beginning.
“I just couldn't see anything,” he said. “I was tripping over legs, the sidewalk curve and the first half mile was brutal. I almost face planted but we held through pretty well.
Baun placed 9th overall and took second in his age group.
Blue pancakes provided by Kodiak Cakes were available to runners throughout the morning.
Homecoming week concluded with a BYU football game against Arizona in the afternoon.