Volunteers throwing color during the color run. Photo courtesy of University Marketing and Communications. By Noah Wortham
On April 17, The Warrior Challenge, comprised of a 5k and a 1-mile color run, was held at the Disc Golf Course near the McChesney Student Activity Center at the University of Montevallo. The first male and female winners of the 5k were awarded medals and a prize.
The Warrior Challenge was to benefit the local charity, The ARC of Shelby County. According to the University of Montevallo’s website, The ARC of Shelby County aims to “advocate for specific policies and programs that benefit people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families.”
The event was hosted by Instructor DeAnna Smith and her Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability class, which is a course that teaches event planning and preparation for non-profits.
Karley Armstrong, a student who helped in hosting the event, described the ARC as “friendly” and “nice.” When it came to the event, she conveyed that she had a “place in [her] heart for people with disabilities.”
Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, The Warrior Challenge took various precautions to try and safeguard the event. The runners were provided with runner masks from Trak-shack and socially distanced at the start of the race. There were sanitization stations available and the food distributed afterward was pre-packaged.
The 5k began after 8 a.m. and there were 10 runners involved and a stroller. There was also a Virtual Run option for those who were not present for the event.
The male winner and first to finish was Joshua Reed, a mechanical engineering major, and freshman from the University of Alabama. He described himself as “exhausted” after the 5k and mentioned how he was “nervous being out in front.” He expressed that when it came to how the event was run, he had “not a complaint.”
The following runner, Mason Yancey, is a nursing major and sophomore at UAB. He remarked that he was “tired but happy I got it done.” It was very coordinated,” commented Yancey on how the event was held.
The family-oriented Color Run began after 10 a.m.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, they did not employ obstacles like they do normally. Five children participated in the Color Run alongside two students from the university.
One student, Madison Averhart, found out about the event through Vallo Voice. When asked how she felt after the run she remarked that she was “feeling energized and rejuvenated.”
Noah Wortham is the Lifestyles editor for the Alabamian. He is a fourth year English Major with a passion for music, video games and film.
