charity 5ks to run this weekend

There will be ample opportunity to run for a cause this weekend as a pair of student groups will be hosting 5ks on campus.

Engineers Without Borders kicks off the weekend with its race on Saturday morning. The 3.1 mile road race beings at 11 a.m. and all the proceeds will go toward the group's effort to help Haiti and Nicaragua.

It's the first such event for EWB and according to Ethan Butler, the group's president, they're hoping for a lot of race day registration.

"We're hoping because of the advertising we did people will sign up on race day," Butler said.

It's $10 for students and $15 for non-students, and the proceeds will be split between support for Haiti and support for an EWB project in Nicaragua.

"Fifty percent of the funds are going to the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund," Butler said. "The other 50 percent goes to our project in Nicaragua. We're basically repairing a roadway in a very impoverished town that leads to the city."

The group's project in Nicaragua is especially meaningful because the road is so important.

"The town needs emergency, governmental and medical assistance so it's really crucial. They really rely on the city for their job. That's why the roadway's important," Butler said.

UConn EWB, as well as West Point, will be sending a total of 10 people for two weeks in the near future to get started.

The run starts outside the Student Union and continues down Hillside Road to South Eagleville Road. From there the course turns left on 195, then turns left again onto North Eagleville. A final left brings runners back to Hillside Road and the finish line.

Sunday provides runners with a different course and a different cause. The 5th Annual EcoHusky 5k Road Race begins Sunday at 11 a.m. on Horsebarn Hill Road. EcoHusky is one of the more visible student groups on campus and hosts a variety of events, but according to EcoHusky Treasurer Aaron Grade, this event is one of the more popular.

"It's second only to the Earth Day Spring Fling," Grade said. "This event has the most people from outside the UConn community come out. It's a good opportunity to show people what EcoHusky is about."

Registration is $10 for students, $20 for non-students and is available on race day from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.

Last year more than 125 runners, ranging from ages 9 to 89, participated, and Grade is expecting a similar turnout this year.

"We've advertised a lot more this year and we're also doing a new thing with a team discount and we've had several teams express interest," Grade said.

The money raised from the registration fees go toward causes like the sustainability fund and EcoHusky's general fund, which helps the group put on events like Green Week.