The Rexburg winter weather may be here, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy palm trees, Hawaiian leis and tiki torches.
Great Western Racing is partnering with the BYUI Alumni Association to host the Island Christmas Half Marathon and 5K on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Jacob O’Neal is the co-owner of Great Western Racing and the race director. In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, he explained the inspiration behind the tropical island theme.
“We knew that we were hosting it on December 6th when it’d be kind of cold,” O’Neal said. “We wanted to make it ironic and fun with the cold, so we made it island Christmas themed. We got tiki torches and palm trees. We’re just making it fun.”
Arguably the biggest perk of participating in either race will be the raffle going on. A ticket to be in the races gets each student one entry into the raffle, and each friend a student brings along counts as an additional entry.
The top prize is something students won’t want to miss.
“The crowning piece of it is that we’re raffling off three $500 scholarships to our students that participate,” O’Neal said. “It’s just a race to bless students in all kinds of ways.”
There are several other prizes in the raffle, including Kelly Canyon Ski Resort day and night passes, Tagg-N-Go platinum car wash passes, goodie bags and coupons.
However, the main goal of the race doesn’t involve prizes.
“Goal number one is to get people out of their comfort zones,” O’Neal said. “Who really wants to run in the snow? We know that the greatest things in life are outside your comfort zone. You can have so much fun. We want people to grow, and we want people to have fun. Real fun.”
O’Neal also says Great Western Racing wants to put on a race like this once a semester from now on.
“It’s good activity,” O’Neal said. “A little bit of exercise. Let’s say you walk the 5K. Walking three miles, it’s just good for you.”
Students can choose either the 5K or half marathon race. The event will begin at Smith Park on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11 a.m.
For more information on the event and tickets, go to RunSignUp’s website.