Five Kilometers Goes a Long Way: Building Community with the MSJ 5k Run/Walk

The MSJ 5k run/walk is a yearly event at the Mount, and it can be completed with as much competitive or relaxed passion as the individual runner/walker pleases-there's no right or wrong way to finish it! Whether you're racing, jogging, walking or volunteering, the MSJ 5k is a memorable experience for everyone involved in its running. In the wake of the event, competitive runner Kayla Hess, casual walker and English professor Liz Mason, and key event organizer and PT (Physical Therapy) professor Christina Heinrich recount their experiences with the MSJ 5k.

What's It Like to Be Ridiculously Fast? Find Out with Top Female Finisher Kayla Hess.

For Mount alum Kayla Hess '24, it was a fun, albeit competitive event mixed into her typical running schedule. Hess, who ran cross country and track during her time at the Mount, likes to distance run most days of the week already-five to six days of the week, actually. As prepared as she was to race a 5k with everything she had, it's no wonder that she was the first female finisher of the event, running a time of 21:43. To break that time down, running a 21:43 means that Kayla, on average, completed each mile of the 3.1-mile race in 6 minutes and 59 seconds.

"It was an honor to be the top female finisher overall and first in my age group," Hess says. But her favorite part of the event overall was simply being able to come back to the Mount.

"It feels great to be able to return to my alma mater to run in the MSJ 5K because I enjoyed my time here so much," she says. "I like being able to stay connected to the school through events like these and it helps me to feel like I'm always welcome back, that I'm never a stranger."

Seeing the show of support for the 5k's participants from the Mount Community, and recognizing familiar faces from MSJ, is an aspect of the event that Kayla truly feels helped her to run faster.

"When we cheer each other on, we all become stronger because of it," she declares.

But What If I Don't Want My Legs to Fall Off? Find Out What It's Like to Be a Walker in the MSJ 5k with Dr. Liz Mason, Who Also Didn't Want Her Legs to Fall Off.

Mason typically walks the MSJ 5k with her dad, who is in his 80s, and last year, walked it with her husband and son as well. This year she got to soak it in solo, as other commitments and conflicting schedules meant the usual family group couldn't participate. Most years, she and her dad focus on enjoying the time together with no worries over finishing times, and simply marvel at the ability of her dad to continue completing the race.

"It was a different vibe altogether," she states, on completing the 5k walk solo. "I really enjoyed seeing my students and my colleagues outside of work, having the opportunity to cheer on the people running way ahead of me as we crossed paths and being able to cheer on the few people who finished the race after me as they crossed the finish line."

Some familiar faces she recalls seeing at the 5k include Sean Wiwi, an MSJ alum who completed one of her Written Word courses many years ago; Richard, an MSJ alum who audited one of her Written Word courses early in her career; and the previously highlighted Kayla Hess, who worked on "Lions-On-Line," as well as taking many of Mason's courses in her time at the Mount, including Writer's Block.

Mason details her love for events similar to the MSJ 5k that take MSJ students, faculty and staff out of their respective classrooms and offices, and give them an opportunity to mingle with the wider community in Delhi. The community support makes the morning.

"Everything was in bloom," she says. "I don't run, but I jogged a bit at times as I completed the 5k, because so many people convinced me that I was faster and stronger than I really am!"

This All Sounds So Amazing! I Wonder What It's Like to Be Involved in Organizing the 5k? Find Out with Dr. Christina Heinrich.

There are many details that have to come together for the MSJ 5k to run smoothly, but,as Dr.. Christina Heinrich, who helped organize the event, explains, the MSJ 5k team is truly incredible at what they do. Furthermore, through the hard work of organizing the event, the team simply gets closer, making the process feel easier each year.

"We've spent a lot of time together planning, problem-solving and trying to make everything work, and somewhere along the way we've developed all of these inside jokes and stories that we laugh about year after year," she says. "We can be in the middle of a stressful race-day situation, and somehow someone will make a comment that makes everyone laugh. Those are the moments that I think I'll remember long after the details of any particular 5K are forgotten."

Heinrich loves getting to see students, alumni, faculty and staff come out to interact with the members of the greater Delhi community who show out for the event. There's such a great, positive energy that can be felt across the race route-in every step, every breath and every finish.

"We have sponsors and community partners, volunteers, students helping, people working behind the scenes, and then all of a sudden it becomes this one big event," she states. "I think it's a great way for the Mount to open its doors and invite the broader community to be part of what we're doing here."

She sees great potential for the MSJ 5k to continue expanding, drawing in more and more participants from the Mount Community and surrounding communities. She doesn't want it to become so big that it loses the personal, community feel that makes it so special, but would love to see it grow

"I'd love for the MSJ 5K to become one of those events that people look forward to every year-something that brings people back to campus, gets people moving, and gives us another opportunity to celebrate the Mount community together," she says.

It All Comes Back to Community

Whether racing the 5k like Hess, walking it like Mason, or organizing it like Heinrich, the common denominator in what makes the MSJ 5k so enjoyable seems to be the community connection it offers. The MSJ 5k is a special event at the Mount where students and professors alike can embrace the community at the Mount and the areas around it--whether it be by getting faster with each cheering spectator, being motivated to jogging as a casual walker by the excitement of the crowd, or by gladly experiencing the finished product of months of organizing and hard work. The MSJ 5k run/walk has something for everybody.