The 27th Annual UTSA Diploma Dash 5K San Antonio City Championship Race & Fitness Walk drew record-breaking crowds.
An estimated 2,300 attended the February dash, which included 1,930 runners, surpassing last year’s 1,238 total by more than 50 percent.
The race was established in 1984 to raise money for student scholarships and alumni programs. Race co-chair and alumni board member Melissa Aguillon said the association raised close to $25,000 in sponsorships.
"We’ve always had a strong support base and we had a really good response this year," Aguillon said. "Our Diploma Dash has now become known as one of the city’s premier 5K events–it’s been exciting to see our event grow this year."
More than 800 students ran in the race, an increase of 500 from last year. Corporate and individual running teams made up the rest of the participants–The Capital Group led the way with 15 sponsored teams; Valero had five teams.
The association awarded prizes and medals in a variety of categories. Chass Armstrong came in first in the Overall category with a time of 15:27.
One of the sponsors was alumna and committee member Catherine Austin ’07, who owns Run Wild Sports in the Pearl Brewery complex. Austin hosted two packet pick-up days at her store. "I love going back to UTSA," she said. "It was a lot of fun and a great turnout."
Jim Mickey ’78, associate vice president for alumni programs and marketing, said he’s happy with the event’s success. "We would like to thank all our participants and sponsors, especially Time Warner and H-E-B," he said.
By Vincent T. Davis