Throughout the past few years, Austin has hosted lots of unique races and walks. Most recently The Walk for Water and the Color Run have occurred here. The Walk for Water is a walk for raising money for developing countries, while the Color Run is a colorful 5k to promote healthiness, happiness, and individuality.
The Walk for Water is a foundation that promotes the awareness of the distance children in developing countries must walk in order to get access to clean drinkable water. The walk is a fund raiser, using the money for a clean water supply for the Songa region of Burundi, Africa. The walk took place at the Burger Center Sunday, April 27.
Throughout the race, participants may choose to carry heavy jugs of water in honor of the developing countries.
“Bowie kids walked as a group and dispersed through the group were people carrying the jugs,” senior Emma Seal said. “When one person would get tired someone else would help them.”
The foundation’s goal is to create a clean water supply for these developing countries so that they don’t have to endure the long walks.
“They said that all of the money we raised goes directly to Burundi and none of it goes to a third party,” Seal said.
Participants could walk as long as they desired, and Bowie students showed a lot of dedication.
“I believe Bowie raised the most money,” Seal said. “We walked about four times around and we had a huge group of people, they even recognized us for it.”
Participants were able to donate money for the cause.
“Before, during and after the walk, people would be able to donate money at designated areas,” Seal said.
Although Bowie was about the largest groups, others participated as well.
“I saw elementary schools, middle schools and high schools there,” Seal said.
Over all, it was a successful accomplishment for Bowie and its students.
The Color Run, on the other hand, is a 5k where colorful chalky paint is tossed all over the runners creating an exciting fun environment to run in. The race took place on April 19 at Bowie and its goal was to raise money for the Bowie Band.
“It was a fund raiser for the Bowie Band,” junior Jordan Dinkins said. “We are going to the UK next year. We’re performing in the New Years parade.”
This fund raiser is just one of the many fund raisers the band is doing this year to benefit their trip. The Color Run however, was a particularly special one to the students.
“We all bonded while running together,” Dinkins said. “It was an effective way to raise money for the organization while having a lot of fun.”
While the cause was important, some students ran it for the sake of having fun.
“I’m a cross country runner and I’m training for next year,” junior Emma Hull said. “I thought it would be a fun little warm-up.”
The race helps participants forget about the running and just have fun.
“It kind of sounds cheesy,” Hull said. “But in a way it made me run faster around the areas that didn’t have the color so I could get more color and get there faster.”
The Bowie band directors were the ones who got to throw the paint at the students running. This made for an exciting experience for both the students and the directors.
“They blew a whistle for us all to start, and all of the band directors started throwing the colors at us,” Hull said.
Both Races made for successful fund raisers as well as a successful fun experiences for students.