Calvin College is hosting its 19th annual - Spring Classic on Saturday, April 25. The event includes a 5K run/walk and a fun run for the kids, named after late chemistry professor, Karen Muyskens, who passed away in January 2008.
Karen's husband, Mark Muyskens, and her parents Richard and Sandra Carlson will be the official starters for the 2nd annual Karen Muyskens Family Fun Run. In total, 16 members from Karen's immediate family, hailing from California, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan, will be participating in the Spring Classic.
"It'll be a special thing to be able to start the fun run with them," said Muyskens. "Running has always been something Karen and I had done, even just for the health and enjoyment of it," he added.
Mark and Karen were avid runners dating back to high school, both had competed in a number of road races and Mark even qualified for the 1984 Boston Marathon.
"Running is my preferred mode of getting exercise, and the races keep it interesting. And I think Karen had that same sort of attitude toward it," said Muyskens.
Now their three children: John, 16, Carolyn, 13 and Joel, 9 have all followed in the Muyskens' footsteps. John and Carolyn are both on their respective high school and middle school cross-country teams. As for Joel, though just in third grade, he has already run a marathon: the youth marathon last fall, in which students run twenty-six miles over the course of six weeks.
Muyskens says that the Spring Classic at Calvin College was what got John and Carolyn excited about running. And this year, Joel will run the 5K for the first time.
"It's a real pleasure to see the kids get hooked on it," Muyskens said.
The 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. and will follow a brand new course this year, beginning and ending near the entrance to the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex. The Karen Muyskens Family Fun Run begins at 10 a.m. and will be run inside the brand new Huizenga Track and Tennis Center.
Registration for the day's events will be in the Huizenga Track and Tennis Center. For more information, go to: www.calvin.edu/classic
Contact: Donna Joyce, race director at 616-460-4390.
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Received on Thu Apr 23 16:42:07 2009
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