Costumes, fun & running at FDLTCC’s 18th Annual Pumpkin 5K

Residents throughout the Northland dressed up for Fond Du Lac Tribal Community College’s 18th Annual Pumpkin 5K Run/Walk. There was some rain, but runners enjoyed the crisp Autumn colors going around the college campus.

Taylor Warnes, the Director of Marketing and Communications at FDLTCC, said it’s Northland’s oldest Halloween themed race.

“We’re really excited to have all our community come here every year for this really fun pumpkin run and walk,” Warnes said. “This year, we decided to add the Ring Road Fun Run to make it even more fun for families, and everybody of all ages.”

The Ring Road Fun Run is not as long as the 5K, and plenty of kids enjoyed not only running, but face painting and other games.

“Not everybody wants to do a 5K, so it’s a really great option if you do this really quick one lap of the campus. We rarely get to race in this beautiful pine forest,” Warnes said.

Govinda Burdow, one of the faculty members of FDLTCC, said several statements lined the course of the Pumpkin 5K talk about Head Start. Head Start is a federal program supporting early childhood development for low-income families.

“It’s also Head Start Awareness Month,” Burdow said. “The Head Start partnership that we have between our tribal college and our tribal Head Start is sponsoring that. And so there’s great facts that you can learn along the 5K trail.”

Nickie Fournier and Kate Meisner, have been running in the Pumpkin 5K for several years. A piece of advice they gave is go at your own pace, it’s not a marathon, and its a chance to have a nice run or walk.

“It’s fun to get up dressed up in costumes, it’s challenging because there’s a hill, but I have a lot of fun,” Fournier said. “It’s just fun or as competitive as you want to be,” Meisner said.

For more information about the 18th Annual Pumpkin 5K you can read more here. For other stories happening in Cloquet you can read more here.