Midnight Glo Run raises money for CowboyThon
Monday, December 7, 2015
CowboyThon may not be until February, but Oklahoma State University students are already raising money For The Kids.
On Oct. 28, the OSU Department of Wellness hosted its annual Midnight Glo Run with a portion of the proceeds benefitting CowboyThon. This was the second year the Department of Wellness has partnered with CowboyThon, and Jason Vlastaras, Assistant Director of Fitness, is pleased with its success.
“We’ve had a great deal of success with this event from year one,” Vlastaras said. “However, we were looking for partnerships across campus that could help push our participation to the next level while also raising money toward a good cause. CowboyThon, as the largest philanthropy on campus, was an excellent fit.”
This year, the event saw its largest attendance to date, with 650 participants raising $3,500 for CowboyThon. The event featured a live DJ, glow paint stations and a costume contest. The event is more than just a fun run, and Vlastaras believes that is what attracts so many participants.
“The energy, it’s really something you have to experience,” Vlastaras said. “Between the DJs, glow paint, the Hip Hop Dance Crew, Thriller on the Lawn and the glow sticks, it’s really a sight to behold. And that’s just the pre-race activities.”
That energy carries over to the race itself, which Jordan Richards, an OSU student who ran in the Glo Run, appreciated.
“The best part of the race is the people placed throughout the race,” Richards said. “They encourage you and motivate you as you run by them. It helped me keep going when I thought about stopping or giving up.”
As assistant director of fitness, Vlastaras oversees group fitness, personal training, special events and specialty programs. Special events like the Midnight Glo Run are designed to provide accessible and fun opportunities for OSU students and faculty to discover wellness. The Department of Wellness continues to strive to be one of the premier fitness programs in the nation.
“We want to be a premier fitness program while continuing to offer a variety of quality programs and services to our patrons,” Vlastaras said. “Our motto for the OrangeFit program is ‘Find Your Fit.’ We want patrons to discover wellness activities that they enjoy and to build healthy lifestyle habits.”
For more information about the Department of Wellness, visit wellness.okstate.edu.
Story by Catherine Wilson
VIDEO: http://www.ostate.tv/play/EE6F3100-A867-3B2A-42C1-35212FBB5D10
PHOTOS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ostatenews/albums/72157661836373161