On Feb. 10, over 400 runners took to the streets of Old Mesilla to raise money for people with disabilities.
The event marked the 16th annual 5K in Las Cruces, part of the Cupid’s Chase national series. The run is hosted by Community Options, Inc., an agency dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities. According to Haleigh Haven, an NMSU graduate student who helped organize the event, not only is the 5K one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers, but it also brings the Las Cruces community closer together.
“We choose Valentine’s Day because it’s love themed and very inclusive to everyone,” Haven said. “A lot of people think love, they’re like, ‘Oh, I have to be with someone- a couple’. But no, we have so many people that come in, run it by themselves, run it with their dog, run it in memory of somebody. I feel like it’s very exciting and inclusive.”
The community took the holiday theme to heart. Many of the 5K participants wore pink and red gear and Valentine’s themed clothing. There were also shirts reading “Available” and “Unavailable” as a way of connecting people- both those participating in the race, and those who came to support.
“We need as many people out here doing it as we can because it does benefit a really good cause,” said runner Michael Best. “Even if people don’t want to race, they can still contribute.”
Between the $45 registration fee and collected donations, this year’s Cupid’s Chase raised over $30,000 for people with disabilities. And, in addition to getting to run and support the community, all event participants were given a medal of completion, a Cupid’s Chase shirt, water and snacks, and were able to view their time after the run.
“I do think it’s worth it,” said runner Nadia Vega. “A lot of people showed up. The attitude is fun just with that in the race too. There’s a bunch of people just standing on the sidelines taking videos, taking pictures, cheering us on. I think it was definitely worth it. I’m not a runner, these girls aren’t runners, but we would definitely do it again.”
Vega ran the course with three other girls from her rugby team, all of whom are NMSU students. While many different organizations helped put together and take part in Cupid’s Chase, Haven described NMSU and its students’ involvement as “essential”.
“As an Aggie, a lot of us that go to college at NMSU want to go on and impact the world and make a difference, which is something that I love and why I chose NMSU,” Haven said. “And I feel like this is just a great opportunity to give them those networking opportunities and opportunities to really inspire them to want to move further in their journeys to help other people. So, I think it’s really cool.”
