A Cal Poly recreation, parks and tourism administration class is hosting the second annual Campus Midnight 5k Fun Run tonight. More than 175 people have registered for the event, which funds San Luis Obispo Special Olympics competitions.
The 32 students in Introduction to Program Design (RPTA 210) are putting on the event as a class project, planning everything from promotion to sponsorships, registration and entertainment. Last year, each group of four students in the class worked with different events; this year, the entire class has spent fall quarter devoted to this race.
The event’s theme of “Ready, Set, Glow!” emphasizes its novelty as a nighttime run, which Nick Howell, a recreation, parks and tourism administration senior, said inspires more people to sign up.
“Running at night with a bunch of people is a fun experience. It’s fun to do things at night,” he said.
Lauren Rosen, a recreation, parks and tourism administration junior, said the project was a good start to her future career as an event planner. Being able to work with such a large class and with three Special Olympics staff members was helpful, she said.
“They have been there not as someone we can fall back on but as someone we can go to with questions,” she said. “For the most part they want this to be a learning experience.”
Cynthia Moyer, the RPTA 210 lecturer, said the students are finding the need to apply their skills with program design and communication, meeting the course objectives.
“The students have really taken ownership of this event,” she said. “We’re letting them make the decisions.”
Over the past 16 years she’s taught the class, Moyer estimated her students have volunteered more than 25,000 hours in the community.
Howell offered several reasons why people should sign up to run, including the event’s tie to Special Olympics.
“Special Olympics does a lot of good work in our community; it’s another opportunity to build your own community on campus,” he said. “It’s healthy, it’s fun, it’s safe and it’s a way to enrich your life.”
Beginning at 10 p.m., there will be a DJ, instructors leading warm-up exercises and icebreakers to entertain people and get them to mingle. Howell added that they will try to make sure every participant gets an event T-shirt, which glow in the dark. Runners are also invited to compete in a costume contest, another aspect he thinks adds to the event. Last year tutus were a popular choice.
“We like to throw in a little bit of a twist. We did costumes last year and people really had fun with it,” Howell said.
Michael Lara, regional sports manager for Special Olympics, said the proceeds of the 5k will go directly to more than 700 athletes in San Luis Obispo County by funding the 12 year-round sport programs; around 300 athletes will be competing in a floor hockey tournament Jan. 16, 2010 at Santa Maria Fairpark. Last year the event raised $3,500 for Special Olympics.
“The money raised helps athletes do various competitions, it helps our area host competitions, it helps buy the uniforms and things like that,” Lara said.
Lara said the relationship between Cal Poly students and Special Olympics has been amazing because both sides benefit.
“They have a wonderful partnership,” he said. “It’s win-win on both sides.”
Since registration tends to speed up closer to the race, Howell said he expects to have more than the 300 participants of last year. He added that people have been very supportive in getting their friends to sign up.
“We’ve been targeting the student population; there have been people in the community who have expressed interested, though,” Howell said. “I’m sure people from around San Luis Obispo will come participate.”
The race begins at midnight. The course starts at Mott Gym, runs around campus to California Avenue, then to Poly Canyon Village and Cerro Vista Apartments and back to Mott Gym. The event planners are taking safety precautions to ensure everyone has a safe race. The entire course will be lit and visible and the course is on major roads. The University Police Department will also attend.
After the race there will be an award ceremonies for the top three male and female racers and for those wearing the best costumes. Moyer said at least one Special Olympics athlete will attend the ceremonies. In addition, every runner will get a raffle ticket as part of their registration fee; the prizes include cycling and running gear.
Registration costs $25. Those interested can sign up Thursday from 10 to 11:50 a.m. at the booths by Dexter lawn and in front of the Rec Center. Procrastinators can even sign up at the event up until 11:55 p.m. The event will last till around 1:30 p.m.
The community tie and the unusual timing of the 5k make it worth attending, Rosen said.
“There’s always 5k races people can go to, but it’s rare that you’ll find a race in the dark, ” she said. “That’s a really unique aspect you’re not going to find anywhere else.”