By Khalia Lewter
Last weekend, on Saturday, March 29th, 2025, at 9:00am, William Peace University held its first annual and successful 5K race. Runners from all ages gathered in the area of the Main front lawn, and began stretching and preparing for the race. Helpful WPU Student volunteers provided water stands, some chick-fil-a breakfast, and a whole lot of Pacer gear, like wristbands, hats, sun visors, keychain trinkets, and more. A few of WPU’s collaborative sponsors attended to help well, those sponsors being Big Frog Custom T-shirts, Raleigh Popsicle, and Palm Berries.
Many WPU students were in attendance to support the new tradition of the 5K Race. One student, a sophmore, named Reuben Garcia, stated his reasons on why he wanted to support the race, “I’m here to help friends who organized this event, and I like running to begin with.” said Garcia.
The purpose for the set up and launch of this new tradition is truly a heartwarming one. WPU senior, and a helping program coordinator for the 5K race event, Kayleigh Griffith had this to say about the coordination of the event,
“The ideology behind this was because our mission statement and since this is my last year here at Peace, I talked to all my e-board (executive board) members who are also seniors, and we all decided we wanted to find a way to incorporate the community part of our mission statement and spread health and wellness.” said Griffith.
Griffith continues on with her reflection by stating that the beginning process for the event to be greenlighted was difficult. “It was rough but it made us all more connected; the difficulty for us came from getting the city to actually approve it, lots of hoops and papers, next was to figure out the budget, and the most difficult part was probably finding sponsors,”said Griffith.
She then shared how excited she was that everything came together and that even though she will be in graduate school next academic year, she will strive her hardest to volunteer again to see the progress this new tradition has made since its first reveal.
Kayleigh Griffith at the Check-In Desk for the 5K Race. Photo by Khalia Lewter
The race featured a scenic route that looped around Peace’s campus and extended through parts of downtown Raleigh. Some runners aimed for their personal bests, and others took a more relaxing approach and enjoyed the nice weather. Kristin Koch, WPU’s Director of Student Involvement, said the event was organized to promote, “wellness, exercise, community and fun.” Runners embraced this spirit while strengthening their connections with other students, faculty and supporters.
Photo by Khalia Lewter
Runners take-off to begin the 5K Race. Photo by Khalia Lewter
As participants crossed the finish line, they were greeted with cheers and refreshments, celebrating their accomplishments regardless of their pace. The event had strong student participation, faculty involvement, and sponsor support. The first 5K race at Peace proved to be a resounding success. Whether for competition, fitness or school spirit, this 5K race has set a promising future for community-building events at Peace.