8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
》 LAWRENCE
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008
Students, residents raise money in 5K,half marathon
BY JASON BAKER
jbaker@kansan.com
About 2,000 students and Lawrence residents ran the Lawrence 5K and half marathon, formally called the "Raintree Run," Sunday. The event raised money for Health Care Access Clinic, which is a non-profit organization that provides health care for those who don't have or have limited access to it.
The half marathon started at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 8:05 a.m. The 5K course, which is approximately 3.1 miles, covered most of its ground on Haskell Indian Nation University's campus. The half marathon went through the Haskell campus to Massachusetts Street and through campus via Jayhawk Boulevard. Participants also ran through parts of Lawrence, such as the grave of James Naismith and Hobbs Stadium, with both races ending at Haskell Stadium.
Ava Dinges, Denver junior, has run three 5K runs, but said this was her first time running in the Lawrence race and had been training for quite a while.
"It wasn't bad, Dinges said. I wish I could have known the course ahead of time because of the hills. I like how it ended with the track. It made it feel like a race. It feels good to sprint at the end."
Thorton Thompson, who ran the
race with Dinges, said that Sunday was his first 5K run.
"I'm fairly happy with my time," he said. "It would've been nice to see the course ahead of time and get more sleep. But it's a good feeling to hear people cheer at the end."
Both he and Dinges had been training together and said they felt good to see their work pay off. They said they planned running in the half marathon next year.
Harry Swartz, Lawrence senior, ran the race last year and took fourth place Sunday.
"My time could have been better, but I'm happy with the place I got," he said.
Swartz said he wanted to run in the half marathon, but hurt his knee and thought the 5K was more doable.
Stephanie Gomez, Newton senior was very happy about her performance.
"I was able to pace myself, and I actually beat my time by 2 minutes," she said about her performance compared to last year.
Jimmy Balough, Overland Park senior, ran his first half marathon and said he thought he did great.
"I was shooting for 1:30, and I actually got 1:23.30," he said.
Balough said a friend talked him into trying it and had been training since February.
"I thought it was well put together
. A lot of my friends were in it. You couldn't ask for a better day to run," he said.
"I think I came out too strong," Zimmerman said. "That's what adrenaline does to vout."
The half marathon had a bit of change, Doug Zimmerman, Kansas City, Kans. junior, said. He said the runners went down the hill by Fraser Hall instead of the hill by 12th and Indiana streets. Zimmerman said he liked it but wasn't too happy with his time.
Zimmerman said he definitely planned to run it again next year.
Some students had a bit of experience prior to running in the event. Emily Denny, Southlake, Texas, freshman, ran the race for the first time, but said she had run cross country in high school.
"Running is a familiar thing to me," she said. "I did the best I could. I'm a little sore, but it was nice to see parts of Lawrence that I've never seen before."
Current and former KU athletes also participated in the half marathon. Nicole Cauzillo, Northville, Mich., senior and former KU soccer player, ran in the race just days after coming back from her trip to Ethiopia.
"I feel pretty good. I'm not exhausted," she said.
Rachel Anne Seymour/KANSAN
Cauzillo had been playing soccer with the Ethiopian National Soccer Team and running at 8,000 ft. altitude. Cauzillo heard about the race from one of her friends and gave it a triv.
KU students and Lawrence community members run in front of Strong Hall during the Rainforest Run Sunday morning. More than 2,000 participants ran in the half marathon and SK run
"There's no half-time which is unfortunate," she said, comparing the event to a soccer match. "And running while drinking water is hard, and you use a lot of your slower twitching muscles."
After the race, the runners were treated to food and massages. Abbey Faris, Ft. Collins, Colo., senior, had been running in more than 10.5k's and summed up the event.
"It was a nice day. Everybody was motivating, the volunteers were awesome and everybody is expecting the free food," she said.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Participants in the 5K run and half marathon run down Jayhawk Boulevard. The event raised money for Health Care Access Clinic, which is a non-profit organization that provides health care for those who don't have or have limited access to it.
Rachel Anne Seymour/KANSAN
KU
ENDOWMENT
The University of Kansas
A Buddhist group held special prayers Sunday at a temple in Kuala Lumpur to call for a trouble-free run of the torch Monday and a peaceful Olympics.
Some 300 Chinese students studying in Malaysia greeted the flame at the airport along with representatives from the National Sports Council and the police, a statement from Olympic Council of Malaysia said.
Police to protect traveling torch
Olympics should not be politicized and remains confident that the Olympics will be successfully held in August 2008." Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said in a statement.
OLYMPICS
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The University of Kansas
The flame was taken to a luxury hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur ahead of Monday's relay run starting at nearby Independence Square.
opening ceremony in August.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Olympic flame arrived in Malaysia on Sunday ahead of a relay in which it will be guarded by 1,000 police watching for protests against China's Tibet crackdown and human rights record.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
BY VIJAY JOSHI ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Malaysia takes this opportunity to reiterate that the Beijing
The flame arrived from Bangkok on a plane dedicated to carry it to all 19 international destinations on the torch relay before it lands in Beijing for the Olympic Games'
Its 10-mile route will highlight various landmarks, including the top of the Kuala Lumpur Tower, a telecommunications installation that provides a scenic aerial view of the city.
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Protests in other cities have triggered an unprecedented security detail for the Malaysian leg.
Some 1,000 policemen and commandos will be deployed along the route even though police have not received reports of any planned protests, said a police spokesman, who declined to be named citing protocol. The relay through Bangkok on Saturday was unmarried by demonstrations.
China's recent crackdown in Tibet, which forcefully put down sometimes-violent demonstrations against Beijing's rule over the Himalayan region, has triggered protests and attempted disruptions of the torch relay in Paris, London and San Francisco.
Growing criticism of China's human rights record has turned the Olympics into one of the most contentious in recent history.
On Friday, about 30 Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated in Kuala Lumpur, calling for an end to alleged Chinese human rights abuses ahead of the Beijing Olympics. China has banned the Falun Gong spiritual movement as a dangerous cult.
In Japan Sunday, a major Japanese Buddhist temple with graffiti, days after it withdrew a plan to host the torch relay in Nagano, police said. Nagano police were investigating the incident and trying to determine whether it was related to the temple's decision to pull out of the event.
Zenkoji Temple was slated as the starting point for the Japan leg of the Olympic torch relay on Saturday. The temple, however, changed its mind Friday, citing security concerns and sympathy for Tibetan protesters facing a Chinese crackdown.
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