HuskyTHON, the University of Connecticut’s dance fundraising organization for Connecticut Children’s, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, hosted their third annual 5K “Run, Walk or Wheel” on Sunday, Oct. 19.
For a small registration fee, all of which went towards Connecticut Children’s, students could partake in the 5K. The event was inclusive for people with any running experience, welcoming trained runners and people who preferred to walk. The first three finishers received a $200 gift card to bartaco, who partnered with HuskyTHON for this event, providing chips, salsa and guacamole for everyone who finished.
Alex Zavelson, a seventh-semester finance major and the director of canning for HuskyTHON, said the turnout was great and that the weather was favorable for the event. He said that 5K events are reliable ways to get lots of people engaged in HuskyTHON, especially when people get to take the course as quickly as they want.
“It’s a really fun way to combine fundraising while also just doing something that people love, which is doing 5Ks,” Zavelson said.
At noon, the race began outside the Student Union. Everyone took off at their own pace, with some running intently, many lightly jogging and others walking with friends.
The track started with a small square route through the inside of campus that brought participants past the starting area. As they passed, HuskyTHON members and families showed support with cheers and cowbells. The next segment had the participants travel in a larger loop around campus, with HuskyTHON members showing the route and cheering along the way.
Once the racers finished, they were able to grab refreshments and food from the bartaco stand. Many of the attendees socialized afterwards, spending time amongst each other by the finish line and cheering on everyone else making their way to the end. It created a chain of positive energy, with the space outside the Student Union getting louder and more supportive as more students completed the 5K.
Drew Stranko, a third-semester mechanical engineering student with a concentration in aerospace, was one of the top three finishers who won a $200 bartaco gift card. But as someone committed to HuskyTHON with different leadership positions in the organization, he said the gift card was just a nice bonus.
“It’s not as much about winning,” Stranko said. “It’s more about doing it and raising money for the kids, which is super important to everyone here.”
Stranko was involved in fundraising work in high school, where he exercised his passion for helping other people. He said HuskyTHON has allowed him to channel this positive energy into his college life.
“My ‘why?’ for HuskyTHON now is to make an impact,” he said. “If we’re not doing something to help someone else, then you’re not really living. You gotta make sure it’s not about you; it’s always about other people.”
Stranko’s commitment to HuskyTHON’s cause was shared by other students who participated in the race, like Julia Murray, a third-semester cognitive science major who recently transferred to UConn.
“I think HuskyTHON is a really great fundraiser, and in my previous school, we didn’t have anything like this,” Murray said. “It gives a great opportunity to meet people and raise money for this great cause.”
Edson Garland, a first-semester accounting student, said he was more of a sprinter and did not have much experience running longer distances. He wanted to test himself by running a 5K race and managed to place in the top 10 in the process. He was impressed by HuskyTHON’s support and the community that came together with the event.
“It was nice having the HuskyTHON workers cheering along the way,” Garland said. “It helped motivate me to keep pushing.”
Paige O’Keefe, the vice president of communications for HuskyTHON, said there were around 150 people registered for the run before Sunday. She estimated that another 100 registered in the morning and placed the total turnout between 200 and 250 students.
HuskyTHON’s 5K is one of many fundraising initiatives the organization has planned before their dance marathon in early 2026, going along with the theme: “Above All Else.” HuskyTHON 2025 had over 4,700 participants and raised over $2.1 million for Connecticut Children’s.