LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -

Members of the community are invited to participate in the Tenth Annual Lock Haven University Homecoming 5K Run/Walk, which will be held on Saturday, September 26 at 9 a.m., rain or shine. Events include a 5K Run, a 5K Walk and a Kids’ Fun Run.

Awards will be presented in several categories. For the 5K Run, awards will be presented to the Top Male and Female Overall. For the 5K Walk, awards will be presented to the Top Three Male and Female Overall. Awards for the 5K Run will also include 9 age groups: 19 and under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60 and over. In addition, Overall Athena and Clydesdales Division Awards will be given. The children’s Fun/Run will take place at the conclusion of the 5K race and all finishers will receive awards. T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 100 registered.

Participants may register in advance or on the day of the race. To register in advance, contact Aaron M. Russell, LHU Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach Head Men's and Women's Track & Field Coach (Track Events). Phone: 570-484-2261. Email: Arussell@lhup.edu.

The registration fee is $15.00 before September 15 and $20 on or after September 15. All proceeds will benefit Lock Haven University’s Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country.

Registration on the day of the race will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Thomas Fieldhouse Circle.

The 5K Run/Walk begins at Hubert Jack Stadium and progresses through campus and on to the Dike Levee before returning to finish at the Thomas Fieldhouse Circle. Water and finish-line refreshments will be available.

This is the tenth anniversary of the event. It started ten years ago as a cooperative effort between the alumni relations office and the Susquehanna Pacers, a local running club. After two years it was managed solely by the Susquehanna Pacers, and for the last six years has been conducted by the LHU cross country and track & field teams. Mark and Mary Stern have been major organizers of the event since its inception, being founding members of the Susquehanna Pacers and continuing to do much of the leg work today. They have also been the event's major sponsor for the past decade. Mark Stern is a member of the Lock Haven University Foundation Board.

Coach Russell praised the Homecoming 5km Walk/Run for providing “a great venue for both the university and local communities to come together.” He added, “The event not only helps the LHU cross country and track and field teams raise money for their scholarship fund, but also gives them the opportunity to help others enjoy a sport which has brought them so much satisfaction.”

Russell also commented on the children’s Fun/Run, saying, “The children's fun run provides an opportunity for kids to be involved and enjoy the event along with their parents. Each child is paired with one or more LHU athletes who complete the race with them. Each child is provided with a ribbon and goody bag at the finish line!”

Communications Media Professor Doug Campbell said, "The LHU Homecoming Race started me on my running career. When I received the 1999 flyer, I thought, well, since I can walk five miles, maybe I can run three. Wrong! So, I began by running one mile, walking a quarter mile, running another mile, walking another quarter mile, and so forth. My longest race to date is a half marathon; one of those is enough. The LHU Homecoming Race features a great 5K course with views of the river and no steep uphills."

Russell summed up the annual 5K Run/Walk by saying, “You can't ask for a more beautiful setting, and with an entirely flat and downhill course fast times are guaranteed. For ten years now everyone's been walking away happy!”