New Haven Female RTC
Provo UT

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New Haven 5k Race
And July Family Weekend

In keeping with its emphasis on physical fitness, New Haven held its third annual 5K race for parents and students in conjunction with the July Family Weekend activities. This is the third year for the walk/race event which both campuses (Spanish Fork and Saratoga Springs) held on separate Saturdays in the month of July. Both campuses secured the same picturesque mountain area in the Spanish Fork Canyon which allowed the participants to run unhindered by vehicles or other traffic concerns. The families were given t-shirts and numbered racing bibs and transported to the start of the race. To record the times of the participants and facilitate a smooth race course, the following items were used: large time clock and stand, finish line banner set-up, cones, mile markers, orange spray paint, starting pistol, and a timer. Over sixty families participated along with teachers, therapists, recreational therapists, and staff from New Haven. Mandy Nielsen, PE Teacher from the Spanish Fork campus and Jill Chezik, Recreational Therapist from the Saratoga Springs campus, spearheaded the event for their respective campuses. Both did a fantastic job of promoting and facilitating the event.

After the race, a breakfast was held in a nearby pavilion and prizes were awarded to the fastest father, mother, daughter and New Haven staff member. Duffle and laptop bags were given out as top prizes along with a raffle of various other prizes to the many other participants. Jill Chezik commented that "the 5k was a great event for all of the families that participated. Many of them chose to run together and even if they didn't finish together they usually went back to meet the member of their family who was still running. Even the parents that had previous knee or other bodily injuries still participated, albeit slowly. Several of the families mentioned that this was therapeutic for them, not just physically. At the end of the race the people that had already finished cheered everyone on! Everyone did a great job and really seemed to enjoy it."

This annual race will continue to hallmark New Haven's commitment to families, their physical health and fitness, and enjoying time together as a family unit.