By Jennifer Phillips
Norman runners and
community members anticipate the second annual Alpha Tau Omega Spooky Sprint 5K
race and carnival as it quickly approaches.
The
Spooky Sprint 5K will take place on Sunday, November 2 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. and
will begin at the East lawn of the Oklahoma Memorial Union on the Norman
campus.
The
carnival will be held during and after the race on the East lawn as well, and
will feature games, a costume contest with prizes for the best male and female
costumes, candy and a dunk tank.
The
spooky sprint raised over $4000 dollars last year for Community After School
Program, or CASP. The program provides afterschool care to approximately 650
children in all 17 Norman elementary schools according to the organization’s
website.
208
runners plan to participate on Saturday, a hefty 250 percent increase from last
year’s 78 people. Alpha Tau Omega expects a larger turnout for the carnival,
too; up to 400 people, twice as many as last year.
The
reason for the flux in participation this year is due to the 3-for-2 sign up
rate offered at the beginning of the sign up period. “It boosted our numbers
significantly,” said Adam Wagner, senior Alpha Tau Omega member and chair of
the event.
The
5K committee began talking about programming and advertisement in early April.
“The biggest difference as far as getting the word out is we started the
conversation much earlier this year and got people talking about the race early
on,” said Wagner.
Wagner
set the fundraising and attendance goals high this year to really motivate his
committee. “The 5K and carnival work toward such a great cause in a way that’s
fun for everybody,” said Wagner. “It’s hard to justify not putting your all
into something that benefits so many people in such a big way” said Wagner.
The
location of both the race and the carnival changed from the previous year due
to new university policies that regulate 5K routes for safety and security
reasons.
The
event will also no longer include a one-mile fun run for the kids in attendance
due to the new route and location.
The Spooky Sprint
5K and carnival is open to children and families of all ages. More information
about the event can be found at
Runners
interested in participating in the race may sign up at
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