DMACC Alumni Association 5k participants Janti Tito, 21, Liberal Arts major, second place and Riley Heilskou, 19, Health and Fitness major, first place. Photo by Christy Halverson
On a cold Saturday morning Sept. 28 at the Ankeny DMACC Campus, a large crowd gathered to compete in the annual 5k Walk/Run race hosted by Des Moines Area Community College’s Alumni Association.
The race’s path first started started inside the DMACC campus parking lot, but it soon took participants down the street and all around Watershed lake. To ensure every volunteer’s safety the left side of DMACC Blvd was blocked off with orange traffic cones.
There were two groups that participated in the 5K: runners and walkers. For the runners, various prizes were awarded to the competitors who finished at the top of their respective age groups. The full list of results and prizes won can be found on the race’s webpage at https://dmacc.edu/alumni/5K/Pages/welcome.aspx.
Afterwards, those involved were given a free breakfast burrito and could freely disperse with friends and family who cheered them on. During this rest period DMACC President Rob Denson explained some goals that DMACC was hoping to accomplish from this event:
“We wanted to bring the community together and to have fun. However, it’s also a great opportunity to raise money for our students. This year we look to give out over $5 million in scholarships.”
DMACC President Rob Denson at the 5k event. Photo by Brody Nicolaisen
Before the young mourning had ended, the event had already raised over $5,000 in scholarship money.
After the race had finished, some of the participants spoke about their experiences in the 5K:
“I’ve done this for the two past years and each time I try to complete not compete. My goal is to simply get better every year,” said Reene Clippert, a volunteer who ran alongside her husband and nephew.
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