Some might find it difficult to imagine a race in which the last-place finisher eagerly congratulates the winner, or the faster runner takes his slower competitor’s hand so that they cross the finish line together.
Yet these values of friendship and kindness are the cornerstone of the Special Olympics and the reason for their largest annual fund-raiser, the Special Olympics 5K Race and Walk, which was held Saturday morning, co-Chairwoman Melissa Bast said.
“I see the 5K as a way to get the name out,” said Bast, a Weinberg senior. “(It) encompasses the athletic part of our program. I like to raise awareness in such a positive way.”
With 182 student and local adult runners, the 5K raised more than $2,000 for Northwestern’s Special Olympics, which provides an opportunity for disabled people to compete athletically, said co-Chairwoman Alicia Meyer, a Weinberg junior.
“Running Down a Dream,” the Special Olympics’ fourth annual race, began on the Lakefront near the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center and circled around campus.
About 25 to 30 students volunteered to register students and oversee the race, Meyer said.
The top three male and female finishers received prizes of $75, $50 and $25, respectively.
But female first-place finisher Maureen Farrell returned her $75 prize to Special Olympics.
“I just felt a little weird taking a cash prize from a fund-raiser,” said Farrell, a Weinberg junior. “I didn’t mean to make it a crusade.”
She has run in the 5K for the past three years and also volunteers for Special Olympics on the day of the games.
The co-chairwomen encountered some difficulty with publicity this year because Spring Break was a week later and thus pushed back the planning, Bast said.
“We had about 100 less (runners) than last year, but the same as two years ago,” she added. “We’re very happy with what we got.”
Some runners noticed the lack of publicity.
“If they want people to come, they need to advertise it more and put it in Chicago Athlete magazine,” said Chris Toepfer, male first-place finisher.
Toepfer, 39, an artist from Chicago, runs two to three races per month and won the Special Olympics 5K Race and Walk last year.
“It’s a great cause,” he said.
While many runners support the cause, some local residents said they also wanted to be more involved in NU activities.
“This is our third or fourth year running,” said Rhonda Serafin, 51, an educator from Arlington Heights. “We like to support the college events.”
Others wanted to train for future races or support their friends who volunteered for Special Olympics.
“I want to run in a 10K, and this is a good way to train for it,” said Annamarie Chang, a McCormick senior.
Some students came to support friends involved in the organization.
“Our roommate is on Special Olympics, so we were coming to support her,” said Leslie Josefowicz, a Speech senior.
NU’s Special Olympics main event will be May 5 on the Evanston campus. The goal of the games is to promote healthy competition and sportsmanship, Bast said.
“We have competition, but we recognize other values that we can get out of it,” Meyer said. “A lot of (the athletes) show us what it is to be supportive.”
In addition, involvement in Special Olympics offers NU students a different outlook on those with varying abilities, Bast said.
“Special Olympics gives NU students who are so mired down in classes a chance to see such kindness,” she said. “It gives us a new perspective on life.”
