Hope College will feature a 50K recreational bike ride and a chip-timed, competitive 5K run, both open to all ages, on Saturday, Oct. 13, in the morning.
Each event will begin and end at Holland Municipal Stadium, with the run finishing across the 50-yard line. The two activities have been scheduled in conjunction with the college’s Homecoming Weekend, and registration is open to the general community.
The 50K (31-mile) bike ride will begin at 8 a.m., and will be a recreational ride with participants split into two groups, one anticipated to travel 16-18 miles per hour, and the other 20-plus miles per hour. The groups will be led by VeloCity Cycles. Requirements include a helmet.
The run will begin at 9 a.m., and will include a light breakfast, refreshments and a performance t-shirt. The results will be posted online.
The ride and run continue a Homecoming tradition of more than three decades. Earlier versions of the two events debuted as part of what was then the “Run-Bike-Swim” on Saturday, Oct. 21, 1978, in conjunction with that year’s Homecoming Weekend dedication celebration of the Dow Health and Physical Education Center. For some years, the event also included a timed walk and a health fair. Consistently, reflecting the Dow’s design as a facility for participation, the emphasis has been on activity and fitness as part of a whole.
Scott Travis, who is director of alumni and parent relations at Hope, noted that the annual event is an ideal fit for the weekend.
“Homecoming is really designed to reflect the Hope experience in the sense that we have events for mind, body and spirit throughout the weekend,” said Travis, who is coordinating the running event with Eva Dean Folkert, co-director of athletics and assistant professor of kinesiology. “Across the weekend alumni can attend classes and lectures, participate in campus worship services, and watch or even participate in athletic competition.”
Registration for the bike ride is $20 for the general public and alumni, and $15 for Hope students, faculty and staff.
Registration for the run, which includes the t-shirt and light breakfast and refreshments, is $20 for the general public and alumni, and $10 for Hope students, faculty and staff. The fee for registration will increase by $5 after Friday, Oct. 5.
Participants may register online at hope.edu/homecoming or by calling the college’s Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (616) 395-7250. Participants may also register in person on Friday, Oct. 12, during the advance packet pick-up taking place at New Holland Brewing Company in downtown Holland from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Holland Municipal Stadium is located on Fairbanks Avenue at 13th Street. New Holland Brewing Company is located at 66 E. Eighth St., at Eighth Street and College Avenue.
Additional information about Hope College’s Homecoming Weekend, which runs Friday-Sunday, Oct. 12-14, is available online at hope.edu/homecoming. The weekend includes a variety of lectures, arts events and athletic competitions open to the community, as well as reunion activities for graduates from 1984 through 2012.