File Photo
By PARKER NISBETH
Tiger Media Network
The Serena’s Sunflower Memorial Color Run will take place on Saturday. Billed as a “vibrant and meaningful” day meant to honor the memory of Serena Blaske.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. outside the Memorial Union, followed by the 1 Mile Fun Run at 9 a.m. and the 5K Race starting around 9:15 a.m. The Awards Ceremony will take place after the last athlete finishes the 5K, around 10:15 a.m.
According to Student Engagement Coordinator Brett Meyer, last year was the first year Student Engagement did a a color run. This year the event is being co-sponsored by Student Engagement, FHSU Teacher Education and the Speech-Language Pathology Department alongside Serena’s Sunflower 5K.
“The Color Run student engagement started last year, and this year has been a big change,” Meyer said. “We’re working with Serena’s Sunflower 5K. Serena Blaske was a student in the Teacher Education department, and she passed away.”
Teacher Ed Professor Linda Feldstein taught Serena during her time at FHSU. She said Student Engagement’s involvement has been helpful in getting more information about the event.
“It’s been really gratifying, because I think Student Engagement just has a greater reach in terms of being able to publicize things,” she said. “Serena was a student of mine. In fact, she was in my class when she tragically and unexpectedly passed away in December of ‘21 and so we’ve run this 5K every year since then as a way to raise money for the scholarship fund that her parents started in her name.”
The inclusion of the color run is new this year. According to Meyer the paint powder will come out of clothes but is not toxic or dangerous to participants’ health. Meyer also said individuals can volunteer at the event if they don’t want to be “painted” or can run around the paint stations.
“Right at the beginning, there’s a big cloud of paint that’ll create really cool pictures,” he said.
More information on the race can be found on the event webpage.