LACEY, Wash. — T’ is the season to be jolly, so make a start of it at the Saint Martin’s University Jingle Bell Run, a light-hearted 5-kilometer run/walk through the gorgeous wooded trails and byways of the University campus.
“Jingle Bell Run has developed into an annual community holiday event that, in addition to generating scholarship support for our Saints student-athletes, provides a great opportunity for our campus and athletes to be involved with the local community,” says Saints Athletic Director Bob Grisham. “Everyone looks forward to it.”
This year’s run is Saturday, Dec. 3, and starts outside the University’s Hal and Inge Marcus Pavilion, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. The competitive 5k race begins at 9 a.m., followed by a fun run/walk that kicks off at 9:45 a.m. All ages are welcome! Runners able to complete the 5k course in 30 minutes or less are encouraged to participate in the earlier event.
Participants often don their reindeer antlers, ugly Christmas sweaters, elf ears and other seasonal frippery for the event, which features mile-marker fun along the way. A finish-line celebration at the pavilion will include hot cocoa or cider and Christmas cookies and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Awards for runners placing in the competitive 9 a.m. race and an award for the most festively-dressed team are part of the post-race festivities. Spectators are welcome to be part of the fun!
A highlight of this year’s event is aimed specifically at the many high school athletes who participate in the race, says Dana Pethia, University director of fundraising events and corporate sponsors. At 8 a.m. on race day in Worthington Center (Saint Martin’s Campus), they are invited to attend a free breakfast and program dubbed “University 101: How to Become a Division II Student-Athlete.” Hosted by Saint Martin’s Office of Admissions, the program will introduce student-athletes and their parents to scholarship opportunities at the University and give them an opportunity to meet some Saint Martin’s coaches, student-athletes and professors. Space is limited, and students must provide a valid student ID to participate. To attend, students must rsvp at special.events@stmartin.edu; 360-438-4366.
Preregister for Jingle Bell Run online at https://register.chronotrack.com/r/22276. Registrants will receive a commemorative long-sleeve t-shirt, chip timer and race number, and the first 500 registrants also get a swag bag. Early check-in is from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 2, at the Saint Martin’s Pavilion; check-in and ‘day-of’ registration and swag bag pick-up begin at 8 a.m. in the Norman Worthington Conference Center on December 3.
Registration fees: Adult preregistration (until December 3), $40; military, $30; middle school, high school and college students (with valid I.D.), $10; day-of registration; kids 11 and under, FREE (does not include the t-shirt, or swag bag). Additional t-shirts are available for purchase at preregistration and at the race, Dec. 2 and 3, for $10 each, while supplies last.
Saint Martin’s warmly thanks this year’s race sponsors for their generosity and support: Olympia Federal Savings, Capital Medical Center, Columbia River Advisors, UW Medicine,Olympic Myotherapy and Massage, Eat the Ball, essentia, Costco, Giftstarter, Justin’s Nutbutter, Bittersweet Chocolates, L & E Bottling, Cramer & Bond Dentistry.
For more Jingle Bell Run information, give us a jingle at 360-486-8885 or go to https://www.stmartin.edu/jinglebellrun.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent, four-year, coeducational university located on a wooded campus of more than 300 acres in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 25 majors and seven graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, nursing and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,243 undergraduate students and 277 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and 350 more students to its extended campus at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Visit the Saint Martin’s University website at www.stmartin.edu.
