Ohio State athletes will be running, but it won't be for conditioning or punishment.
On Sunday morning, the Athletic Training Club will host the inaugural "Running with the Buckeyes 5K" at Fred Beekman Park on OSU's West Campus. The event is open to all runners, and participants include Buckeye athletes from various teams.
To participate, runners who pre-registered had to complete an application on active.com before midnight Thursday. The cost was $20 for non-OSU runners and $15 for OSU runners, with proceeds going to both Relay for Life, The American Cancer Society, the Stefanie Speilman Fund. The fee for those who register the day of the race will be $20.
The event is not the first that the club has coordinated for charity.
"We do a lot of community service events for Ohio State and the greater Columbus area," said Caroline Lewis, president of the Athletic Training Club at OSU. "This year, we've done Christmas caroling at the James Cancer Hospital, we paired up with Sullivant Elementary students and did an Easter egg hunt, we bought school supplies for children who were affected by the war, and we did a canned food drive at Thanksgiving."
Students in Athletic Training have the option to join the club when they are admitted to the major, but are not obligated to. The club serves as a networking opportunity and a chance for students in the major to get to know one another while helping out the community.
The group members became interested in charity work because helping others is already prevalent in their day-to-day lives as trainers. It is something they are all passionate about.
"I think that it's really important to know the kind of people who get involved in athletic training are people who love helping others," said Megan McNutt, a member of the club. "I think that's just the kind of personality that we all come in with. A lot of people don't know what athletic training really is, so these events give us the opportunity to get out there and spread the word about it to others."
The group decided to plan the 5K in April to follow National Athletic Training month in March. Club members want to make the public aware of what their degree entails.
"Our profession is clearly misunderstood by a lot of people," said Leah Rambacher, a member of the club. "In the media, there are a lot of stereotypes about our profession, with reports of steroids and that kind of thing, but what we're really about is prevention, rehabilitation, psychological therapy and nutrition. We're not just water boys and girls."
Club members will not only be running the event, but running in the event, as well. Members encourage runners of all experience levels to participate.
"It's going to be a beautiful day, and it is going to be a lot of fun," McNutt said. "Come out for a good cause, learn a little more about our profession, and have a fun time with the Buckeyes."
is a member of the 
1 comments