Get ready to light up the night, Williamsburg, because the first-ever University of the Cumberlands Glow Run 5K is happening this month! 

On Friday, March 20, hardcore runners and couch potatoes alike will be painting their faces and off to races. Participants have the chance to conquer a 5-kilometer run or enjoy a more leisurely 1-mile walk. Festivities begin with registration at 6:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the Ward Correll Health and Wellness Center on Cumberlands’ campus. The run/walk starts at the same location at 8 p.m. and concludes with a glow party afterward, complete with black lights, music, and awards given to the 5K’s top finishers.

In the words of 2019, “It’s gonna be lit.”

Registration costs $25 and includes entrance to the event, a t-shirt, and a swag bag donated by the Williamsburg Pizza Hut. To register, visit https://conta.cc/2PI1tvJ.

Exercise is good. Time with family and friends is great! But what’s the best part? That this event is all for a good cause.

All proceeds from the Glow Run will benefit The B Squad Project, a local nonprofit organization serving the children of Whitley County, supporting the kids through various initiatives to help them “be the best they can B!” Money raised from this event will support B Squad’s Sister Swag Event, helping provide school supplies for underprivileged local elementary students.

University of the Cumberlands has partnered with the B Squad in the past for the nonprofit’s annual Gutsy Gunner’s Sweet Dreams event, when Mountain Outreach – a Cumberlands ministry program – designed and built more than 50 beds for B Squad to give to children in need for Christmas.

The Glow Run 5K is open to Cumberlands students and all members of the community. The course will span areas of Cumberlands’ campus as well as downtown Williamsburg. Running experience advantageous but not necessary. Comfortable shoes recommended. Smiles and fun included.

Tell your kids they get to stay up past their bedtime. Tell your boyfriend or girlfriend you’ve planned a night out with them under the stars. Tell the total stranger next to you, “You glow, friend!” and hand them this article. (Don’t worry, they’ll thank you for it at some point.) Whatever you do, don’t miss the chance for the best kind of glow-up this side of 2020.

To register for the Glow Run 5K, visit https://conta.cc/2PI1tvJ. Anyone with questions about the Glow Run and any businesses interested in becoming sponsors for the event may contact Jennifer Simpson, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School at Cumberlands, at jennifer.simpson [at] ucumberlands.edu (jennifer[dot]simpson[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu) or 606-539-4567.