Runners, walkers: Register now for April 18 'Running to Open Doors' 5K run/walk
Runners and walkers: Start your engines. It's time to register for one of the first spring running events of the year.
The Young Alumni Council of the University of St. Thomas Alumni Association aims to raise $6,000 at its first "Running to Open Doors" 5K run/walk on Saturday morning, April 18.
All proceeds from the inaugural event – which gathers students, faculty, staff and university neighbors and friends for a common cause – will support a St. Thomas Opening Doors Capital Campaign priority: scholarships for St. Thomas students.
The Young Alumni 5K Scholarship will benefit a current St. Thomas student who excels academically, is active in the university community and is a positive influence in the St. Paul campus neighborhood.
All St. Thomas students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to participate. Register online through April 16 at www.stthomas.edu/YAC5K . Registrations by Friday, April 3, are eligible for the discounted entry fee of $20. After April 3, entries are $25. Those who sign up with a team of 10 or more may register for $18 per individual. UST students may register at the St. Thomas Box Office. Runners and walkers who want to enter on race day are welcome, too.
The USTAF-certified course begins at UST's Summit Avenue arches and heads west to Mississippi River Boulevard. The course then follows Mississippi River Boulevard south to Hartford Avenue, where the course reverses.
Runners begin at 8 a.m., and walkers start at 8:15 a.m.
All participants will receive a free commemorative T-shirt. Top finishers will receive round-trip vouchers from Sun Country Airlines, Basilica Block Party tickets and more.
Spectators are welcome anywhere along the course, and parking will be free for participants and spectators alike in St. Thomas' Parking Lot H on the corner of Summit and Cretin avenues.
Anyone interested in volunteer opportunities at the run/walk, which is expected to become an annual event, is invited to contact Megan Ryan at megan.ryan@yahoo.com .