Bearathon 2016 | A Community and Campus-Wide Event

Student Foundation has been giving back to the Baylor community since 1969 when 13 junior men and women received notification from President Abner V. McCall that they had been selected to serve as charter members of the organization’s Steering Committee. These students were the beginning of a new model with a novel goal – students serving students – and Bearathon is vital to the group’s ability to continue providing scholarships for current students.

This year’s race, known as “the toughest half in Texas,” was held on Saturday, March 19, and included both a 5K and half marathon course. More than 2,000 runners were welcomed to the Baylor campus and while a number were faculty, staff, students and alumni, others from the Waco community and from around the state and country participated as well.

“The Bearathon is Student Foundation’s greatest single fundraiser for student scholarships,” said Jordan Hannah, Troy and Betty Mays director of Student Foundation. “Whether you are a seasoned half-marathon runner or simply someone looking for a short fun run, there were avenues for you to participate in this great event.”

Among those who completed the race this year, a four-member team in the biology department joined forces to both train for and complete the Bearathon. Marcie Moehnke, senior lecturer; Mojgan Parizi-Robinson, lecturer; Amanda Bracey, bioscience lab coordinator; and Tamara Lehmann, academic support associate, worked together to ensure they were both physically and mentally prepared to tackle such a challenging course. While some members of the team were seasoned pros, others were somewhat new to the race scene.

“This was my first time to participate in the Bearathon, and I have never done anything over a 5K in the past,” said Moehnke. “Mojgan mentioned wanting to do it, and I told her my knees cannot handle running on pavement. However, when she mentioned that we could power walk it, I was so excited.”

Training was done individually but the group got together on a regular basis for longer walks as well. In addition to preparing for the Bearathon, this allowed a time to get to know each other in a way that sharing an office space typically does not.

“Training with these wonderful ladies definitely brought us closer together,” said Parizi-Robinson, who has completed more than 30 half marathons. “We did our own training and then would meet up at Cameron Park for longer walk/runs. We also did stairs as a group (in the Baylor Sciences Building).”

In addition to fitness, further insight was gained during these shared training times.

“You have that time to problem solve and share different perspectives, in an open environment,” shared Lehmann. “I’m on the administrative side and it’s been eye-opening to me to see what faculty may deal with on a daily basis.”

All agreed the Bearathon was a well-run race and they plan to participate again next year – hopefully with a larger group of friends and colleagues. In addition, the biology team hopes to continue completing 10-mile walks on occasion so they can remain in touch. And remain fit!

Top sponsors for this year’s event were Student Government and Premier ER while Baylor Waco Foundation, Aramark, Baylor Bookstore/Shops at McLane and Baylor Alumni Network also made significant contributions.