The upcoming Spring Fun Run at Oakton Community College is designed to say farewell to the school year and hello to better health, the college said recently.
“It's kind of a end-of-the-semester celebration-slash-activity to get out and be well and healthy and encourage activities among our employees and our students,” Lisa Bolinder, wellness coordinator at Oakton, told the North Cook News.
The 5K run/walk on May 4 starts at the Lee Center in Des Plaines. Bolinder said that while the focus of the free event is on the college's students and employees, it is open to the general public. The first run drew 142 people, while last year's brought in 237.
“So we're hoping for more this year,” she said.
Early registration must be completed by May 2, but onsite registration can be done between 1 and 3 p.m. in the Lee Center lobby, where packet pickup will be available.
The course, which circles the lake three times, will start and finish on the Lee Center walkway by the canopy. There will be stations for water and medical assistance if needed.
In the case of bad weather, the event will be held at 3:30 p.m. on May 5.
The template for this event was set by similar but larger activities that have been held on campus. Bolinder said the wellness committee members are “still getting our feet wet” in terms of growing the Spring Fun Run to the size of those previous events at Oakton.
“We're not at that stage yet; I don't know when we will make it to that,” she said. “Our goal is to keep it growing and building.”
Registration can be done through the Oakton website. For more information, email Bolinder at 5k@oakton.edu.
The college is also offering a training program template for anyone wishing to prepare for the run. It begins with a walk/jog mix and ends with a jog/run. It consists of seven weeks of training with off days that the college suggests can be "active recovery days."
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