Half full

The Eighth Annual Dean of Students Half Marathon Challenge and Kayla Mire Food Drive is in the books! What a wonderful group of running partners (several shown above at the starting line). We trained from September through the culmination of the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on December 6, 2015. The highlight was running through campus with about 25,000 of our new friends and a very supportive cheering section.Great touch, too, that Trinity alumnus Mark Greene won the full marathon.

We had about 75 people participate in the program this year. Runners ranged from steady participants to those who jumped in near the end after training a lot on their own. The group included students, staff, faculty, alumni, parents, friends, and Rachel's boyfriend Marc. Our charity was the San Antonio Food Bank and the runners and TUVAC collected the equivalent of nearly 15,000 pounds of food ($1 equals ten pounds). The Kayla Mire Food Drive is named for alumna Kayla Mire, who died in 2010 and was an advocate for the homeless.In eight years we have collected nearly two semi trailers of food.

Highlights of our training included a session on running form; a session on running gear; the Alumni Weekend 5K; a Halloween Hill Hell run; the Trinity Turkey Trot; a run around Woodlawn Lake followed by a taco breakfast; and a pasta dinner the night before the race. Kayla Mire's parents attended and Mr. Mire offered a few very touching remarks about Kayla. 

In assessing the program, 85% of respondents said they would do this again. The rest say they are graduating or moving away. Nearly all the students would love to receive a PE credit for the program. Of the 42 respondents, 40 said they would continue to be runners and two were unsure.

Please view the slide show below to gt a sense for the spirit of our runners. They look pretty happy - even in the post race photos. Mark your calendars for December 4, 2016 for the Ninth Annual Challenge.