Inaugural 5K 'Boo Run' to benefit Outing Club programs

Date: 10/19/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM -- The wide variety of trips that Minnechaug Regional High School's Outing Club take each year allow students to stay active in a unique way -- but the club needs your help to ensure that future high school students get to enjoy the same kind of activities in the future.

That's why the Outing Club is hosting its first ever 5K Boo Run/Walk on Oct. 31 as a fundraiser.

"The trips for the Outing Club can get expensive," Missy Doe-Largay, the club's advisor, explained. Those trips can include whitewater rafting in Maine, skiing and snowboarding, camping, indoor rock climbing, paintball games and more. Doe-Largay said the club provides a "healthy alternative for exercise."

Not all members of the club sign up for every event, but Doe-Largay said the club averages about 50 students.

"With the downturn and the recession and costs going up, that's driving people away [from Outing Club]," club member Duncan Daviau, a junior at Minnechaug, stated. Daviau, a track and cross country runner, came up with the idea of the run as a fundraiser.

"We thought doing something for Halloween would be fun and a little different," Doe-Largay told Reminder Publications. The top male and female finishers in the 5K (3.1 mile) race will win cash prizes, as will the runner or walker who participates in the best Halloween costume. The route will begin and end at the Minnechaug track.

Doe-Largay said because the event is a combination run and walk, it promotes wellness to all members of the community while supporting a great cause.

Applications for the inaugural 5K Boo Run/Walk are available at the Hampden and Wilbraham town halls, the Scantic Valley YMCA in Post Office Park in Wilbraham and at Minnechaug. The entry fee is $15 if pre-registering, $20 the day of the race. The first 100 who pre-register will also receive a T-shirt. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. in the Minnechaug parking lot on Oct. 31, with the race beginning at 8:30 a.m.

For more information on the Outing Club or the event, contact Doe-Largay by e-mail at mdoe@hwrsd.org.