Spring is here and so is the half marathon and 5k Valley of the lilies.
The Department Campus Recreation and Wellness and School of Health Sciences will be hosting the 8th annual Valley of the Lilies run on Saturday, April 7. The half marathon starts at 8 a.m. and the 5k run starts around 8:15 a.m. The awards for the 5k run will be shortly after the race around 9 a.m. and the awards for the half marathon will be at 10:45 a.m.
Our editor Keegan Wiggins ran Valley of the Lilies in 2017. Photo provided by Keegan Wiggins.
Medals will be given to the winners of both races, both male and female. Custom made medals will be given to the top three males and females in each age group. The age groups are 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 plus.
“I recommend the course. However, it is difficult because of all the hills,” said WCU student, Keegan Wiggins.
Eight years ago this event was only a half marathon.
“We started with the half marathon because a lot of organizations do 5k runs and we wanted to be a little bit different,” said Shauna Sage, Director of Campus Recreation and Wellness. “Plus, our half marathon course is known for being pretty hard, so it brings in a different crowd of people.”
“My favorite part of the event is seeing the relief and happiness on finishers faces once they’ve completed the half marathon,” said Sage. “It’s really encouraging.”
There are 174 registrants for the 5k run and 139 registrants for the half marathon, totaling to 313 people running on Saturday.
The race helps raise money for student development and scholarships and their goal this year is to raise $7,000.
