DanceBlue held their annual Color Me Blue 5K, raising $27,000 for the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology & Oncology Clinic, according to DanceBlue Operations Chair Lakin Puckett.

Students and community members gathered at Alumni Commons on Sunday, Oct. 8, geared up for their race around campus.

“It was a really good opportunity to get involved with something bigger than myself,” DanceBlue Technology Chair Matthew Bartholomai said.

For the first time, the race began and ended at UK’s new Alumni Commons. 

Along with the change of the start and finish line location, this year’s course was different than in years past. The new course took participants past the DanceBlue Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Clinic.

Participants ran near the hospital where a handful of clinic staff members and DanceBlue’s family relations committee were waiting to cheer them on, according to Puckett.

“Just knowing that it’s there and the impact that they make is so close to home … I feel like it can encourage people and inspire them,” Puckett said.

Participants were showered in yellow and blue powdered paint as they crossed the starting line and at different points throughout their run through campus. 

The color-filled run brought together 1,156 students and community members, according to Puckett. 

“I wanted to run because DanceBlue is just such a good cause and it was really fun to get involved and to be able to do it with a bunch of different people that have the same passion for DanceBlue,” freshman runner Julia Kinsman said. 

Kinsman said the race was “tough, but worth it.”

Joe and Matthew Meyer said they chose to take part in the Color Me Blue 5K as part of their training for the upcoming Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon in Louisville. 

“I was like, ‘This would be a good idea, it seems fun to get started.’ The marathon is in, like, 20 weeks,” Joe Meyer said.

The Meyers finished within three minutes of each other. Matthew Meyer finished in 20.12 minutes, with Joe Meyer crossing the finish line only a couple minutes later with a time of 22.14. 

“I’m gonna run a marathon eventually,” Matthew Meyer said. “So why not support the cause and run a little bit?”

Conversation of planning the 5K began in early June with heavy planning beginning in July, according to Puckett. 

DanceBlue worked with Bluegrass Timing, a racing company who was in charge of timing the runners as well as setting up the start and finish lines.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Puckett said. 

Puckett said she has spent three years of her college career with DanceBlue and wishes she could do it for three more years. 

Puckett encourages every member of the UK community to get involved with DanceBlue, whether it be by dancing in the organization’s 24-hour marathon, volunteering, running the 5K next year or simply going to support those participating in the marathon.

“Everyone has a different experience … but it’s all for the same cause,” Bartholomai said.