Crowds gathered along Cullen Boulevard Saturday morning for the third annual Frontier Fiesta March for Marrow 5K run to raise money for bone marrow cancer research.
This year, Frontier Fiesta added an incentive program to the race to add some excitement and increase fundraising.
In total, the 5K’s participants raised $27,295, just $7,705 under the $35,000 goal.
The march, “a powerful, uplifting walk and run promoting community awareness about bone marrow failure diseases” was dedicated to aplastic anemia survivors Claire Pickett and Matthew Sprain, according to the event’s registration website.
Festivities included team photos, awards for those first to reach the finish line and inspirational speakers for a day of fun connecting with patients and families of those affected by a bone marrow failure disease.
Students from various organizations as well as participants of Frontier Fiesta began arriving for open registration at 8 a.m. A series of sponsored tents dotted the parking lot of the Fred J. Heyne Building, where souvenirs such as Frontier Fiesta bracelets and lanyards, as well as variety show entry tickets, could be purchased for every 5K registration.
Psychology junior Marcela Rodriguez arrived on site to help raise money and support her sorority’s role in Frontier Fiesta.
“I’m here on behalf of Delta Gamma and our Fiesta partners, Sigma Phi Epsilon,” she said. “For me, there was nothing quite like a 9 a.m. start to my day, raising money for bone marrow cancer by running three miles and sharing coffee and bagels with my peers. It felt good.”
Greek life members made up the majority of the morning’s runners in the hopes of contributing to the cause, as well as earning more points toward the win of the Koppel trophy — Frontier Fiesta’s ultimate prize. The volunteers eagerly pinned their numbers to their athletic wear before setting off on the running path, a route of five kilometers that toured a portion of the central campus.
The race was directed by Patty Godfrey and sponsored by several non-profit organizations like the Aplastic Anemia, MDS International Foundation and Frontier Fiesta itself. Those who finished the run in less than 30 minutes waited at the finish line to cheer on the rest of the participants, who came steadily under the finish line balloon arch for the remainder of the hour.
Business sophomore Connor Hendricks thoroughly enjoyed donating his time to the event.
“I’m not a runner, and I didn’t exactly dress for the part, but I wanted to come out today and help raise money for this very serious illness,” Hendricks said. “It affects an overwhelming amount of people, and the reality of that pushed me to finish the run as strong as I could.”
The motivation to contribute led many runners to conclude the race with a stroll through the sponsored tents where information could be collected about the cause.
The energy remained high even as the temperatures rose toward the end of the race.
Hotel restaurant and management junior Skyler Gentry was among the top 50 and finished dressed in his Frontier Fiesta costume to promote the variety shows taking place across the street.
“Everyone was super friendly and energetic,” Gentry said. “It was fun to see so many people involved in something like this. I was happy to be able to be a part of it.”