First Endless 5K at UVA

Last year, when the Residential Colleges faced questions surrounding their applications and long-term continuity, I helped bring together student leaders across all three communities and formalize the Residential College Coalition, later recognized by UVA Student Council. It marked the beginning of a new era of collaboration between three communities that had long existed with their own distinct traditions and cultures.

In that same moment, another idea was born: the Endless 5K.

The name is an oxymoron, but the concept felt exactly right. As an inaugural event, it represented the collaboration between the colleges while also giving form to the resilience and connection these communities shared. Those ideas later became the theme of the event.

With that vision in mind, I worked alongside Dannia Gomez and Ava Turicchi to shape and build what we hope becomes a lasting tradition. Much of my spring semester was spent navigating institutional policies, meeting with stakeholders, fundraising, securing co-sponsorships, and building relationships across UVA and the wider Charlottesville community. In many ways, the work itself mirrored the purpose of the event: bringing people together.

Last weekend, that work came to life.

On the morning of March 21, we welcomed 77 runners to the start line. At the top of every hour, runners were challenged to complete another 5K until only one remained. Alongside the run, we launched the first-ever “Hoos Up To What?” fair, a more casual and experiential alternative to traditional tabling that featured student organizations, UVA departments, and local businesses showing, rather than simply telling, what they are all about. Over the course of the day, the event drew around 200 spectators, and by sundown, our first-place runner had completed a remarkable 12 laps, just over 37 miles.

The event also raised more than $1,500 for the Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents. We chose PHAR because Charlottesville’s housing crisis was, for better or for worse, part of what first brought the Residential Colleges together, and we wanted the themes of resilience and connection to extend beyond UVA and support the community that helps sustain this University.

Looking back, the Endless 5K was far more than a run. It was the culmination of a year of work to unite the Residential Colleges, and the beginning of a new chapter in connecting UVA more deeply with the greater Charlottesville community.

What I hope people carry from it, especially as the event grows in the years ahead, is simple:

It’s not about crossing the finish line first–it’s about crossing it together.