The fourth annual Run the World 5K will take place at Kent State University on Saturday, Sept. 8. The race raises money for the Run the World Fund, which provides scholarships for university study abroad programs.
New this year following the race, Main Street Kent, is sponsoring an International Festival downtown.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., live multicultural performances will take place at Dan Smith Community Park, including Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese dancers. Downtown businesses will participate in a Passport Excursion, offering activities and food and beverage samples from the countries they choose to represent during the event. Many businesses also will provide information about the various study abroad programs available at Kent State.
Passports to food and drink will be available for purchase the day of the festival for $5 at the “customs” booth in Dan Smith Community Park that day. Race participants will receive complementary passports in their race day packets.
Passport Excursion participants will receive a stamp for each passport destination visited. The first 100 passport holders to return to “customs” with their completed passports will receive a prize. For up-to-date event details, please visit www.mainstreetkent.org/kent-international-festival.
“It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity in Kent and our incredible study abroad programs available through Kent State University,” says Heather Malarcik, executive director for Main Street Kent. “This event does not involve road closures or outside vendors, rather it is an experience for our community to enjoy at our downtown businesses and the Dan Smith Community Park on a Saturday afternoon.”
The Run the World project began in 2015 as a single 5K-scholarship fundraiser with a simple mission: Raise money for education abroad scholarships for Kent State students, regardless of their major. In just three short years, the Run the World project has grown tremendously with the addition of two more races at the Stark Campus and Kent State’s Florence Center in Italy. The Run the World project is a collaborative effort of colleges, Regional Campuses and the Office of Global Education at Kent State.
Main Street Kent is a nonprofit organization focused on the revitalization of downtown Kent. It is an affiliate of the national Main Street program and the Heritage Ohio program. For more information about Main Street Kent, visit www.mainstreetkent.org.