Fun Run returns for Homecoming

An old tradition is returning to Randolph College for Homecoming.

Saturday morning, runners will compete in the 3K Fun Run, dashing up and down hills all around campus. The running will start at 10:30 a.m. on the track. There will be refreshments, awards, and door prizes. Don't miss out! (Pre-registration is not required.)

The run was started in the 1970s when Tom Michalik, a former physics professor, mapped out a run that took in "every hill on campus," said Peter Sheldon, a physics professor who organized the Fun Run this year. The original campus 3K was called the "Billy Goat Run."

When Sheldon joined the College faculty in the late 1990s, the college had not held the race for some time. But Michalik gave Sheldon a copy of the map showing the route. Sheldon, who also serves as assistant coach for the cross country teams, resurrected the race as a Family Weekend tradition.

For the past several years, the Virginia 10 Miler 4 Miler races have been held on Family Weekend, so the College opted to participate in those races rather than hold its own. This year, Sheldon was asked to revive the race again.

"It's supposed to be a fun run around campus," Sheldon said. "It's as fun as running up every hill on campus can be."

Take a look at the Fun Run course on the USA Track & Field Web site.