Outside of Hereford College at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, the sound of a gong reverberated off the brick walls. Surrounded by a cacophony of cheers and whoops, 77 participants set out on the Endless 5K Charity Run through the Observatory Hill trails — a 5K they would repeat every hour, on the hour, for as long as they could.
The event lasted a total of 12 hours, with an incredible 37 miles run by the longest-lasting participant, Jameson Brocato, second-year Engineering student and Hereford resident. Brocato finished the final lap in the dark.
The event was hosted by the Residential College Coalition, an unofficial student organization comprised of the residents of the three residential colleges within the University — Hereford, Brown College and the International Residential College.
The event was held to raise money for the Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents, an organization which supports low-income Charlottesville residents in efforts to protect local communities in their search for affordable housing. With key goals of educating and empowering, PHAR also prides itself on its collective action efforts within the Charlottesville community.
This year’s Endless 5K Charity Run brought in over $1,500 for PHAR. According to organizers and participants, the event is anticipated to grow in the coming years and become an annual tradition for the RCC.
In addition to the three residential colleges, the event received donations from several University organizations and local businesses, including Ragged Mountain Running Shop, University Judiciary Committee, U.Va. Recreation and more.
The idea for the event originated between two third-year Architecture students, Hereford resident Dannia Gomez and Philippe Hempel, the International Residential College’s Minister of Community Operations. Hempel approached Brown College’s board, and they partnered with Ava Turicchi, Brown College resident and first-year College student, to help bring it to life.
After Hempel, Gomez and Turicchi created a plan for the Endless 5K, Gomez presented it to the Hereford Student Senate, where it caught the attention of Anthony Vitalie, Hereford Student Senate co-consul and third-year College student. Vitalie worked with the organizers to secure funds for the event and permissions for the outdoor space.
“I love putting on these types of events, where we [are] doing some type of philanthropic work,” Vitalie said. “But I also just really loved seeing people come out here. Because over the past year, I've really grown to love this place.”
As the runners — who each gave $20 to participate — started to trickle back in from the first lap, volunteers began setting up a variety of county-fair-style concessions, all free to anyone who happened to walk by, drawn by the smell of freshly-popped popcorn and the cotton candy machine. As the spring heat thickened, a snow cone station was set up to cool off the participants as they mingled with the passing dog walkers and students enjoying their weekend. U.Va. Dine provided hot breakfast burritos and cool fresh fruit — Liquid I.V. flowed freely to the runners rehydrating in the spring heat.
Besides the free offerings, Sombrero's Cafe food truck and Joy Brew coffee cart were invited by the organizers to keep the runners fueled at an additional charge. The Sustainable Food Collaborative handed out flyers on composting and recycling, and answered questions from community members about the University's sustainability initiatives.
The Graduate by Hilton — a Corner staple — ran a raffle to give away a free one-night stay as well as chocolate chip cookies. Patrick Sullivan, director of sales at the Graduate, joined because of the opportunity to interact with students.
“We started talking about the vendor fair and the networking opportunities,” Sullivan said. “I thought this was a perfect spot for us to connect with U.Va. students in their environment, which we don't really get that opportunity very often.”
Another part of the driving force behind the event resulted from hardships that have impacted the RCC. Last spring, Housing and Residential Life announced a new policy in which upperclassmen are no longer given priority for on-Grounds housing. Additionally, there were proposals under the University’s 2030 plan to dissolve the Residential Colleges entirely, in order to accomplish the goal of housing all second-years on Grounds. While not official yet, the RCC hopes to become a Special Status Organization in the near future. The Endless 5K served as a student-led attempt to demonstrate the resilience of the RCC community after facing such challenges.
“It's the resilience of our communities, having gone through this period of hardship, and it's the newfound connections that have come from it,” Hempel said.
Community was the defining word on the field. Jamie Rush, a doctoral student in the University’s French Department, refused to tap out until completing the equivalent of a marathon on his eighth lap. For Rush, the race provided the opportunity to integrate with the University community outside of his program.
“It has felt a little bit more inter-communal,” Rush said, “Because, you know that the University is a great community, but they're clearly kind of sub-communities and pockets, and it was great to see it did feel like … there were a number of different kinds of people coming together today.”
Expanding on PHAR’s mission, Vitalie said that while some facets of the University community may not realize their impact on the rest of the city, housing is an issue that affects Charlottesville as a whole.
“We do have this issue where we have a ton of students that are taking up houses that would otherwise go to Charlottesville residents … which is a very easy thing to overlook as a student,” Vitalie said.
An event like the Endless 5K strove to bridge that gap. Between the runners on the trail, the organizations that showed up and the students who wandered between the tents, attendees contributed support to PHAR, the RCC and the Charlottesville community.
“The theme of the [Endless 5K] is all about resilience and connection. It's on the shirts, right? We’re celebrating resilience and connection,” Hempel said.
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