Community Invited to Register Now for Triton 5K at UCSD

Lace up your running (or walking) shoes. The Triton 5K is scheduled for Saturday, June 7!

Community members are invited to join Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and UC San Diego faculty, staff, students and alumni on a 3.1-mile scenic course through campus. While supporting student scholarships, participants will pass the King Triton statue, the iconic Geisel Library and several renowned public artworks from the Stuart Collection, including Tim Hawkinson’s 23-foot-high stone “Bear” and Do Ho Suh’s “Fallen Star” house perched precariously atop Jacobs Hall. The 5K event also features a healthy living festival that includes hands-on activities for all ages, live music by Todo Mundo, a beer garden and a Kids Fun Run. The festival is free and open to the public.

To register and learn more, please visit 5k.ucsd.edu.

The Triton 5K will begin on campus at 9 a.m. at the Spanos Track and Field Stadium and will continue on the scenic course through the La Jolla campus. Participants may run or walk the timed course. A camera feed and live tweets will be featured on the scoreboard for spectators in the stadium. The race will utilize a wave start — runners, walkers and strollers will be grouped according to their pace to allow for plenty of space along the course without affecting individual “chip” times, the actual amount of time it takes a runner to go from the starting line to the finish line.

At 10:30 a.m., the Kids Fun Run kicks off for children ages 13 and under. This kid-friendly short course features wave starts and clearly defined race lengths per age group, plus a children’s finisher medal and goodie bag. The advance fee for the Kids Fun Run is $20 per family for up to four children, through April 30.

Established in 1996, the annual 5K is a long-standing campus tradition that has raised more than $3.5 million to benefit motivated and ambitious UC San Diego students.

“The Triton 5K has been a campus tradition for 18 years, raising money for student scholarships and ensuring that promising, bright students have access to a world-class UC San Diego education,” says Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “We are committed to broadening the path to education, increasing support for students and providing the best possible student academic experience.”

Raising funds for scholarships for all who need them is a key priority at UC San Diego. In today’s challenging economic times, college students need scholarship support more than ever. Currently, nearly 65 percent of undergraduate students at UC San Diego need financial aid to attend the university.

"I'm grateful,” says Christine Som, the recipient of a Chancellor’s Scholarship and a second-year student studying biochemistry and cell biology. “In the future, as a successful oncologist, I can promise that what you have given me will be reciprocated to the UCSD student community.”

Added Abdikarin M. Abdullahi, “I would not have been able to financially afford UCSD without assistance. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams." A freshman, he is studying political science and was the recipient of the UC San Diego Retirement 5K Chancellor’s Scholarship.”

For complete information about the Triton 5K, including registration, festival activities, sponsorships and more, visit the Triton 5K website.

—UC San Diego