Students can start Spring Quarter off on the right foot by participating in the first annual 5K Stride for Aggie Pride, to take place on campus on April 7.
All proceeds of the event will go toward the ASUCD Awards Endowment, which provides tuition support for outstanding students, and We Are Aggie Pride, which provides emergency funding to students in need.
The route will begin and end on the Quad and will highlight many notable features of the UC Davis campus, including the Arboretum.
“The race will allow students to participate in a fun event and raise money for a good cause,” said Artem Trotsyuk, a fourth-year biological sciences major, race director and student assistant to the Chancellor. “We want to promote student health and wellness. Plus, we don’t really have events like this at UC Davis.”
ASUCD Senator Felicia Ong, a second-year political science and communication double major, agreed.
“UC San Diego has a 5K run and I noticed that UC Davis hasn’t really incorporated a race like this,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to foster relationships between the campus and the community and to promote and educate students on holistic health.”
According to Ong, the money raised toward the ASUCD Awards Endowment will be matched dollar for dollar by ASUCD.
The fund also relies heavily on the generosity of the campus community, the ASUCD Awards Endowment website states.
“Students plans to get ‘all hands on deck’ by seeking out campus and community leadership, using ASUCD units, contacting alumni and facilitating events, [to] raise money for the fund,” the webpage stated.
Ong and Trotsyuk are excited about the collaborative efforts of many campus organizations and groups toward the race. The event is supported by ASUCD, Campus Recreation and Unions and the Office of the Chancellor, among others, and will feature performances by student groups including the Popping Club, Golden Turtle Lion Dance Association and the Afterglows.
Ong and Trotsyuk said they hope that the race will become a yearly event and will continue to fundraise for various causes.
“With our university recently ranking as the No. 1 Cool School, the race is a great tie-in for going green,” Trotsyuk said. “Students, community members and family members should commit to be fit, and sign up.”
The event costs $7 for students and $20 for non-students who register before March 16.
Students and individuals who register before the March 16 will receive a free athletic shirt. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to win raffle prizes, including Oakland Athletics VIP tickets, full Kaplan courses, goods from the San Francisco Giants and Sacramento Kings, Mondavi Center tickets, iPods and more.
To register, visit 5K.ucdavis.edu. After early registration ends on March 16, fees for both students and non-students will increase.
STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
