COD to host Laps With the Chaps 5K Run/Walk Oct. 22
College of DuPage invites runners and walkers of all ages to the inaugural Laps With the Chaps 5K Run/Walk at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, on campus in Glen Ellyn.
Participants will begin and end in the COD football stadium, with the route winding throughout the newly renovated and landscaped campus. Prizes will be awarded in different age groups and to the overall male and female winners. All net proceeds will benefit College of DuPage scholarships.
“We hope to have great participation in this inaugural year,” said Cynthia Johnson, Community Development specialist at COD. “The planning committee already senses excitement among our colleagues. We also expect this event to attract donors and sponsors so they get to see the improvements on campus. Ultimately, we'd also love to raise additional funding for student scholarships.”
The cost to enter Laps With the Chaps is $30 per person through Oct. 1, $35 from Oct. 2 to Oct. 20, or $40 on race day, with a $5 discount for College of DuPage students and Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) members. Each participant will receive a long-sleeve performance T-shirt and three free tickets to the football game between the COD Chaparrals – winners of the 2010 Graphic Edge Bowl – and the Joliet Junior College Wolves, which begins at 6 p.m. on race day.
In addition, participants 18 years or older can enroll in “Hit the Ground Running – or Walking! A 5K Prep Course for All Levels” that meets once a week from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on either Wednesdays or Thursdays starting the week of Aug. 22 and running through Oct. 20.
The training course is open to people who want to walk only, walk and run, or run only, and 5K novices are welcome to enroll. Topics include proper clothing, nutrition, techniques, injury prevention, equipment (such as heart rate monitors) and strength exercises. Matt Wilhite, assistant track coach at COD, will teach the course, which costs $35.
“The Laps with the Chaps 5K Run/Walk is an opportunity to encourage bonding among our various constituencies – students, faculty, staff, businesses and community – while promoting health and fitness,” Johnson said. “Auxiliary activities, such as the 5K prep class, health education presentations, and even the football game following the 5K, will reinforce these goals.”
For more information about the race, e-mail cod5k@cod.edu, call (630) 942-3872 or visit www.cod.edu/5k, where online donations can be made. For more information about enrolling in the training course, call (630) 942-2209. Businesses or individuals interested in sponsoring the race can e-mail johnsncg@cod.edu.