Students use 5k races to raise funds through exercise

This month, there are a half-dozen 5k races taking place in the Ball State community, but these events take more work to plan than one would think, organizers said. 

Senior Morgan Laux is the chair for the Glow Run 5k, which is organized by the Health Occupations Students of America chapter of Ball State.

The race, which is in its second year, raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“Little do people know that it is a lot of work to plan a 5k,” Laux said.

Laux said the challenging parts of starting a 5k on campus are getting the route and date approved by the university in addition to getting police available on the route come race day.

While Laux was concerned with the number of races occurring this month, she said HOSA’s glow run concept sets them apart from the others.

“I liked the idea of doing the glow run, because it’s at night time and no one ever does 5ks at night,” Laux said.

At last year’s inaugural glow run, Laux said they had 117 people participate and raised approximately $2,000.

Steven Tomboni is the Chief Executive Officer of America Multi-Sport, a racing company that provides communities in Indiana with health and wellness events. He said while races are a reasonable way to raise money, it can be difficult to start and plan them.

“The bigger races are getting bigger and raising more money, and the smaller races are actually getting a lot smaller,” Tomboni said.

With the amount of races increasing, Tomboni said more people are getting hurt and it has become easier for people to prove negligence and liability. He said people who are organizing a race should make sure to file the proper paperwork for insurance.

Another issue for these races is many cities now have a screening process all race organizers have to go through in order to obtain a permit.

“It has not landed in Muncie yet, but many large cities in this country now restrict the number of permits that are given no matter what it is,” Tomboni said. “They don’t care if it’s a 5k, half marathon, triathlon, nothing.”

Senior Cody Jones, president of the Pre-Health Professional Club, is organizing the Chase the Rainbow 5k, which raises funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

“5ks are good because you can get a lot of people together for a short amount of time,” Jones said.

One of the reasons he said 5ks are so popular in the spring is because many people want to get out and be active. Also, people who made New Year’s resolutions want to get out and show the goals they have accomplished.

Chase the Rainbow is in its fourth year and sets itself apart through the use of paint.

Jones said the race has become easier to organize and plan each year.

“We have a lot of club participation, both of regular and executive members,” Jones said. “We have a lot of help; it’s definitely a lot easier than what it was the first year.”

Because their race takes place on Bethel Fields, Jones said they don’t have to worry about street closures. Their biggest challenge was scheduling around athletic events.

Jones said they have raised more than $5,000 since the race began in 2013.

Becca Hasler is a director at Camp Kesem, a free summer camp for children whose parents have or had cancer. Hasler is planning the organization’s inaugural CK5K.

The reason they chose to do a 5k is because running is inclusive and universal, she said.

“I think there’s a lot more runners out there than people realize, and running is a sport that everyone can do,” Hasler said.

Hasler is not too worried about the amount of 5ks occurring this month. On the contrary, she said many people who are a part of Camp Kesem are signing up for HOSA’s Glow Run.

Some organizations have tried to partner together so there wouldn’t be as many 5Ks, Laux said. She said HOSA was in talks to collaborate with other clubs, but it ended up not happening due to creative differences. Their glow run concept was original to campus and they wanted to keep it that way.

Jones said they talked about collaborating with others, but many of them wanted to keep their own cause.

However, with the way the racing business is going, Tomboni said it may be beneficial for smaller events and organizations to partner with larger ones.

“It can be a great way to raise money, but in 2016 and moving forward, it is more about raising money with a partner with a larger event than it is trying to do it by yourself,” Tomboni said.

For example, the Exercise Science Club is working directly with the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

According to the club's website, “We have combined events directly with the MS Society this year in an effort to make this the biggest and best Indiana MS fundraiser yet.”

The race formerly called the Jeff Clevenger 5k is now the Walk MS: East Central & Clevenger 5k.

According to the website, all proceeds will still benefit the multiple sclerosis (MS) Society in memory of Jeff Clevenger, a Muncie resident who lost a 30-year battle with MS.

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