Last Saturday morning, approximately 1,300 runners completed the Calvin College 5K Spring Classic. The race took place at 9 a.m., with a slightly earlier start for the hand cyclers who chose to participate. As the numbers are still being counted for last minute racers and the virtual runners group, Calvin College predicts that this year may be an all-time record for number of participants.

“This race has been a success for 27 years now and we owe it to every member and business in the community that chips in for support,” said Michael Van Denend, the executive director of the Alumni Association. “The Alumni Association works hard but has consistent support from other Calvin departments across campus such as Event Services, the communications department, Campus Safety, Advancement and the Physical Plant, to make this event more successful each year.”

There were approximately 200 volunteers involved in this year’s race, ranging from current students to Calvin employees and alumni. Outside of the race-day volunteers, many local businesses provided their support in other ways such as t-shirt deals, event and promotion services, and corporate sponsorships.

“The Calvin 5K Spring Classic is meant to be an event that brings together the community,” stated Van Denend, “and of course focuses on the importance of health fitness.”

As a way to bring in a broader community, the Alumni Association hosts a competition with Grand Rapids schools, offering prizes to the top five schools involved at the end of the race. “Although we are community based, all proceeds go to student scholarships at Calvin College that students can apply for,” explained Van Denend. “That way not only is the Grand Rapids community involved, but so are our own students and alumni.” The 5K Spring Classic this year raised over $20,000 for scholarships.

As always, the Alumni Association wanted to keep things new and exciting for this year’s race, so they brought in a brand new element to the event: virtual racing. If a student, alumnus or community member wanted to be a part of the race but could not be in Grand Rapids at the time, participants were able to register online, log in their running route and post a photo with their time once they completed a 5K. “I wanted to make sure members of the community could still be a part of the fun,” said the Van Denend. “That way students abroad or individuals living far away could participate globally.”

Also for the first time ever, the Calvin ROTC group joined the race, carrying their heavy packs throughout the duration of the 5K course. Similarly, several Calvin engineers decided to participate in the race while running with large jugs full of water to represent the global challenge of clean water.

“It was great to see so many new things come together this year,” said Van Denend. “We hope to keep finding new ways to make it a fun and exciting event for everyone.”

For those of you who did not have the chance to participate this year, have no worries. The Calvin 5K Spring Classic will be back next year on April 22, 2017. Feel free to also check out the Alumni Association’s page on the Calvin College website for other upcoming events.