The Alumni Relations office will be hosting the Bruin Nation 5K on Saturday, Oct. 13.The 5K will be held at the Activity Center and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The Alumni Relations office will be providing bananas and granola bars after the race.
According to Alumni Relations, a couple of hundred people have already registered for the race. The deadline to sign up for the 5K is Wednesday, Oct. 10, and participants may register online at bruinnation5k.com.
Emily Gutschow, office and events coordinator for Alumni Relations, said the 5K participants are a good mix of alumni and students.
“It’s a good way for us to bring students and alumni back together during homecoming,” she said.
For the first time, the Bruin Nation 5K will be chip timed. Chips will be attached to the runners’ bibs and will clock the exact moments each runner crosses both the start line and the finish line. This chip time technology is becoming especially popular in races like these because it helps runners track their net time—the total amount of time they spent running.
The chips avoid the traffic delays most runners experience before they even get to cross the start line.Trophies will be given to the overall men’s winner and the overall women’s winner, in addition to a cash prize.
Prizes will also be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in each gender and age group division. These age categories are 13 and under, 14-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over.
The first place winner for each category will receive a cash prize of $25. The second place winner will receive $20, and the third place winner will receive $15. Children who place for their age group will be given gift cards to the Bruins Shop.
This year’s T-shirt design was decided through a contest the Alumni Relations office held. The winner of the contest, Abby Marasigan, is a junior graphic design student. These T-shirts are included with the entry fee.