The Exercise Science Club hosted the 6th Annual Allison Everett 5K run in memory of past GCSU alumni Allison Everett. The race took place at GSCU’s West Campus on Oct. 5th, 2024.
The 5K event honors the memory of Allison Everett who was a GCSU Alumni, an exercise science professor and a Wellness and Recreation Center employee at GCSU. Everett had been involved in the races previously and in turn, the exercise science club dedicated the race to her passing.
The event, while promoting exercise, also raises money for the Allison Everett Scholarship fund. The race gives students and locals insight into the passion Everett had for exercise and the exercise science program.
“This is what she believed in,” said Ken Everett, husband of Allison Everett. “She loved it. She loved her students. There were a lot of personal things that students would come to her with. She always had open ears to who had a problem.”
The event started bright and early, with registration taking place at 8:30 a.m. and a sponsor market that occurred all throughout the event. Running and walking began at 9:20 a.m. with the one-mile Fun Run and the 5K officially started at 10 a.m.
“I like that they give you the opportunity if you’re not a real athlete and you just want to try the one mile,” said Kate Powell, a freshman exercise science major. “I think the reason why we’re doing both the one mile and the 5K is because the one mile is more accessible for people and it can just give you a soft start into exercise.”
The sponsor market included a food truck of local favorite Morning Grind and tables from organizations like the Exercise Science Club and the GCSU Activities Center. The market included the Animal Rescue Foundation, which brought out dogs to promote adoption.
The race brought out GCSU school spirit with the appearance of the school mascot, Thunder.
Thunder made rounds drawing energy into racers and taking pictures with kids and college students.
The run welcomes students and locals alike to embrace healthy exercising. The GCSU Exercise Science Club aims to promote the use of exercise in keeping oneself healthy.
“Exercise is important because you’re so busy focusing on studying all the time you need to make sure you get outside and focus on fueling your body for all the things you need to do,” Powell said.
The event promotes healthy habits within the GCSU and Milledgeville communities. Students and locals both old and young join the race for reasons including, healthy exercise habits, in the memory of Everett, or just for the fun of running/walking.
“We also want to promote community and have a chance for loved ones to come together and not only connect but honor the memory of someone who has such an impact on our department and community,” said Addie Lacotti, president of the Exercise Science Club, a main organizer for the 5K event and a senior exercise science major.
The Exercise Science Club partnered with GCSU’s “Exercise is Medicine Initiative,” which Lacotti says she feels is a cause Everett would have been passionate about. The “Exercise is Medicine Initiative,” or EIM-OC, is a collaborative effort between the Wellness and Recreation, Student-Care and Outreach, Student Health Services and Counseling Services that offers students a way to boost their mental health, create connections and develop new habits.
According to the “Exercise is Medicine” page on GSCU’s website, the initiative encourages students, faculty and staff to improve in the campus community’s health and well-being. The initiative provides students with the tools necessary to strengthen healthy physical activity habits that can last a lifetime and aim to make movement a part of the daily campus culture.
The promotion of exercise and healthy habits in students and locals in Milledgeville by the Exercise Science Club and the “Exercise is Medicine Initiative” is an important part of the well-being of the community. The race continues to honor the memory of Allison Everett while continuing to showcase the importance of exercise.
“It brings people together, it brings people out for a common cause, a good cause, for remembrance and brings generations of age groups together,” said Peggy Pullian, friend of Everett.
