The 25th Annual Run with the Big Dawgs will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. before the Homecoming game.
The Student Association-sponsored event is a 5-kilometer run for students, alumni and the public to participate in. The distance is equal to about three miles.
“We host the run because it has become a tradition,” James Weaver, a member of the SA said. “It promotes school spirit for Homecoming, and it brings the students and the community together.”
Pre-registration will be from 7-8 a.m. There will be a half-mile kids’ run at 7:30 a.m. for children 12 and younger. Weaver said that this is the first time to have a kids’ run.
Pre-registration fees are $10 for MSU students and children under 12. The non-student fee is $12. However, anyone registering the day of the race will pay a $15 registration fee.
Each participant gets a free T-shirt and drinks and proceeds benefit the American Red Cross.
“The race is on North Farm Road and begins at the Crop Stimulation Building, and there will be signs to direct people from Highway 82,” Weaver said.
About 50 people participate each year, but they’re hoping to have around 75 this year because of the half-mile Kids’ Run.
“MSU has had this run every year for the past 25 years, but the distance has varied over the years,” Eddie Keith, director of Student Life, said. “In the 1980s, it was a 10K run, but this year it is a 5K.”
He said that the run has always been on the MSU campus, and it has been at North Farm Road for about the past six or seven years.
“To have a parade or race the traffic must be blocked off, and North Farm Road is a great place to have the Run with the Big Dawgs because there is little traffic and only one entrance to have blocked off,” he said.
Keith mentioned that in the past there have been several notable participants, such as former men’s basketball coach Richard Williams, women’s basketball coach Sharon Fanning, men’s basketball coach Rick Stansbury and Donald Zacharias. Keith added he was not sure if there would be any notable participants this year or not.
“I hope people participate because it’s a great event,” Keith said. “I see a lot of people run, and this is a fun run to participate in because you get to run with fellow Bulldogs, and it starts early on Saturday giving participants plenty of time to clean up, paint their faces and get to the game to support the Bulldogs.”
“I decided to participate in the run a few months ago because I used to be a big runner,” Mary Brown, an MSU student participating in the run, said. “I still enjoy running, and I thought the 5K Run with the Big Dawgs would be a fun way for me to get motivated to run again.”