LOCK HAVEN – Members of the community are invited to participate in the Eleventh Annual Lock Haven University Homecoming 5K Run/Walk, which will be held on Saturday, October 16 at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Events include a 5K Run, a 5K Walk and a Kids’ Fun Run.
Awards will be presented in several categories. For the 5K Run, awards will be presented to the Top Male and Female Overall. For the 5K Walk, awards will be presented to the Top Three Male and Female Overall. Awards for the 5K Run will also include 9 age groups: 19 and under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60 and over. In addition, Overall Athena and Clydesdales Division Awards will be given. The children’s Fun/Run will take place at the conclusion of the 5K race and all finishers will receive awards. T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 100 registered.
Participants may register in advance or on the day of the race. To register in advance, contact Aaron M. Russell, LHU Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach (Track Events). Phone: 570-484-2261. Email: Arussell@lhup.edu
The registration fee is $15.00 before October 9 and $20 on or after October 9. All proceeds will benefit Lock Haven University’s Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country.
Registration on the day of the race will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Thomas Fieldhouse Circle.
The 5K Run/Walk begins and finishes on the Dike Levee behind the Durrwachter Alumni Center. Water and finish-line refreshments will be available.
This is the eleventh anniversary of the event. It started eleven years ago as a cooperative effort between the alumni relations office and the Susquehanna Pacers, a local running club. After two years it was managed solely by the Susquehanna Pacers, and for the last six years has been conducted by the LHU cross country and track & field teams. Mark and Mary Stern have been major organizers of the event since its inception, being founding members of the Susquehanna Pacers and continuing to do much of the leg work today. They have also been the event’s major sponsor for the past decade. Mark Stern is a past member of the Lock Haven University Foundation Board.
Coach Russell praised the Homecoming 5km Walk/Run for providing “a great venue for both the university and local communities to come together.” He added, “Each year we try to put on an event that really brings everyone together. Our athletes work the events and line the course, and love encouraging the participants. It’s a fun event for everyone involved, and provides one of the most picturesque venues I’ve seen. We love seeing everyone cross the finish line with a smile on their face!”
Russell also commented on the children’s Fun/Run, saying, “The children’s fun run provides an opportunity for kids to be involved and enjoy the event along with their parents. Each child is paired with one or more LHU athletes who complete the race with them. Each child is provided with a ribbon and goody bag at the finish line!”
Communications Media Professor Doug Campbell credits the LHU Homecoming Race with starting him on his running career. He says, “The LHU Homecoming Race features a great 5K course with views of the river and no steep uphills.”
Russell summed up the annual 5K Run/Walk by saying, “You can’t ask for a more beautiful setting, and with an entirely flat course fast times are guaranteed. For eleven years now everyone’s been walking away happy!”