A crowd of caped superheroes flooded Eastern Michigan University’s campus Saturday. Over 3,000 of these heroes participated in the annual Washtenaw County Heart Walk and 5k Run.
The theme of this year’s run was “Be Heroic.” The runners, walkers and other participants were given capes to correspond with their donation amounts. Some of the really dedicated participants dressed up as their favorite superheroes.
This was the first time EMU hosted the Heart Walk. In the past, it has been held at Washtenaw Community College.
In addition to the Heart Walk, the area outside the Student Center was filled will different booths raising money and offering entertainment to the participants.
Save it or Shave it
Ryan “Red” Huntington, a student at EMU, raised money in a more unique way.
Huntington started the “Save it, or Shave it” campaign in honor of his 14-inch beard. Donors contributed to the “save it” fund or the “shave it” fund. All proceeds went to the American Heart Association and the Heart Walk.
Before the final tally, Huntington admitted he was nervous about the possibility of losing his beard since he hasn’t been clean-shaven in four years.
Huntington raised over $900, and in the end the “Save it” fund raised more money. The beard will continue to grow for another year and Huntington will continue to take donations for next year’s Heart Walk.
Honoring loved ones
Janene Bondie of Milan, Mich. chose to honor a loved one by participating on Saturday. She dressed up as Wonder Woman to run the 5k.
“I’m running for my dad. He’s had seven strokes,” Bondie said after crossing the finish line.