Running Club leads 5k

Evin Shoap / senior photographer Andrew Jasper gets going Saturday during the Tsunami 5k sponsored by the JMU running club. The event raised $650.

The JMU Running Club’s Tsunami 5k, held Saturday, raised $650 for tsunami victims in Southeast Asia.

The event, which attracted 36 runners, was created by members of the Running Club after seeing the devastation brought on by the tsunami.

"We had been thinking about having a 5k for a while, but when we heard about the tsunami we thought it would be a good time for it," said junior Lori Verma, Running Club president.

Verma said the club wanted to be actively charitable. "I think a lot of people saw it on the news and thought ‘isn’t that terrible,’ but here is something we could actually do about it."

The Running Club’s incoming president, sophomore Brian Derr, agreed. "After the tsunami I thought, how is the world going to rebuild? This is one way we can help," he said.

All profits from the race will be donated to International Relief and Development Inc., an organization that helps people affected by natural disasters. "We wanted to make sure that the money went to the right people," Verma said.

Both Verma and Derr acknowledge the tremendous support provided by the community. Contributions were made by several local businesses.

Race participants acknowledged the benefit of being able to aide tsunami victims while participating in an activity they enjoy. Freshman Andrew Jasper, who won the race, said, "It was worth $15 to go to a good cause — plus I also got to run."

Junior Coriena Reynolds said she would have even paid a greater entrance fee in order to participate, in order to increase funds. "If every campus in the country did one of these, think how much money could be raised," she said.