Last year, a 5k training program and virtual run provided members of the UTMB community with an opportunity to focus on fitness, connect with one another, and support a student-led initiative to promote health and wellness in the community.
This year, the Preventive Medicine Initiative (PMI), the student organization behind last year’s successful program, is back with hopes to engage even more runners and make a greater impact. What was previously a virtual run only is now an in-person 5k run scheduled for Saturday, March 2, in Galveston. A virtual option remains available so family and friends out of town, and others who want to support the effort can join.
“We're excited to see that our challenge to the UTMB community to become more active and understand the process of being more comfortable with exercising really resonated – not just with our cohort, in our school, but with many others,” says Ethan Ha, MS3 in the John Sealy School of Medicine and PMI co-president.
Last year’s virtual 5k attracted 224 participants. Although PMI is based in the John Sealy School of Medicine, registrants included students, faculty, and staff members from across all UTMB schools, as well as students’ friends and family members.
It is PMI’s goal to register 250 runners this year. Their run, now called the PMI Heart and Sole 5k, to reflect a new partnership with the Grace Mobility Clinic, will begin and end at the McGuire-Dent Recreation Center, 2222 28th St., with the course taking runners down the Seawall and back.
“We got a lot of feedback from last year that people wanted it to be in person, and they really liked the community aspect of having the finisher festival at the end,” says Jessica Ngo, MS3 and PMI co-founder.
Making the transition from a virtual race to an in-person event has been a huge undertaking. One helpful step was meeting with Michelle Conley, who helped organize the School of Health Professions’ previous Causeway 5k, to learn about the logistics.
“Transitioning from a virtual race to in-person involved a lot more than we anticipated,” Stephanie Kim, MS3 and PMI co-president, says. “But because of her direction, it helped us get to where we are today.”
“A lot of faculty signed up because they used to do the Causeway run,” Ngo says. “And they told us last year that they really hoped we would do this again.”
The organizers also committed to fundraising and networking in the community to fund sponsorships to help make their vision a reality.
Registration is $5 and is open to all, with participants receiving a race bib, a succulent, a sticker, snacks, and a chance to win prizes at the finisher festival. The low registration cost reflects the organizers’ focus on affordability and access, while also helping to raise funds for shoes for the underserved. Ngo says the finisher festival will be open to the public, with games and booths by community sponsors and student organizations.
For individuals who are unable to participate in person, a virtual option is also available for $5 and includes a virtual bib with the opportunity to pick up a packet the week before the race. Additionally, all registrants will be invited to pick up their finisher stickers and prizes while supplies last after the race.
Supporters can also show support by purchasing a T-shirt or donating toward the cause. Proceeds will help cover the costs associated with the race and support future PMI projects, with a portion also supporting Grace Mobility Clinic, a physical therapy student-run clinic that provides footwear and foot care to community members in need.
“Last year we were able to create something within the community, and it’s something that we wanted to replicate this year (while asking) how we could further connect with our community. Since one of our goals is to promote healthy lifestyles, we realize the first step for some people might just be getting a pair of shoes,” says Anaelle Lahitte-Crohare, MS3 and PMI co-founder.
The free training program hosted by the UTMB Running Club will begin mid-January, with sessions at the UTMB Alumni Field House. Training plans have been designed for beginners and advanced runners. There will be at least two sessions specifically for the PMI program geared toward beginners, with several free shirts to be given out at those events.
Since their inaugural running program last year, the organizers have seen some great examples of why health and wellness programs like this are valuable. They shared that one participant, JSSOM student Bruce Chang-Gu, wanted to build up his running but had never been formally trained. Training sessions gave him that opportunity, and today he is an avid runner and a leader in the UTMB Running Club.
“We have had other classmates that have said things like, ‘I've never really had the courage or the motivation to run,’ and then they came into a training session where they actually had people to run with, and they really enjoyed it,” Lahitte-Crohare says.
 | Find full details about PMI, the PMI Heart and Sole 5k, pictures from last year’s event, and registration on the organization's website. Learn more. |