UNC Wilmington will host the second annual Color Me Rad 5K on Sept. 6, 2014.

The money that is raised will go towards athletic scholarships for student athletes. Registration for the event is currently underway at a starting price of $35 with an additional 10 percent off with the UNCW promotion code. A five dollar increase will be put into effect as each month passes. The Seahawk Club will receive 15 percent of participants’ funds using the promotion code and 75 cents for each participant that doesn’t. 

Along with changing the way the Seahawk Club receives fundraising from last year, there will also be a change in the colors that will be doused on the participants as they run through the race.

“The only thing that is going to be different during the race is that there will be more color,” said Bethany Thurston, development coordinator of The Seahawk Club. “Last year there was tons of color. To make it more vibrant this year, we will have more.”

After registering for the event participants will not only get the experience Color Me Rad has to offer, but a t-shirt, Color Me Rad neon shades and rad tattoos. With $26,650 raised last year for the Seahawk Club, this year’s fundraiser is expected to be a hit.

“This event brings a lot of people to campus,” said Rob Aycock, Seahawk Club director. “We had over 8,000 runners last year and a lot of people exposed to the campus. It makes it more likely that they will come back maybe for a game sometime.”

Color Me Rad donates 100 dollars to the Seahawk Club for every 75 volunteers that help out in the event. Student athletes raised an extra $7,500 for volunteering during the event. Sophomore softball player Taylor Matkins is one of the many volunteers that helped at the event last year.

“I think volunteering as a student athlete is very important because our community needs to know we support them as much as they support us, if not more,” said Matkins.

You can find student athletes in a variety of places during the event. Last year, many basketball players were cheering on participants at the starting line, while others were in costumes to entertain the participants. Not only does the event benefit student athletes but the community as well.

“I think that the scholarships generated from this event not only help student athletes but the people in our community,” said softball player and graduate student, Brittany Gamby. “It’s nice seeing people volunteer and then also seeing them on the court or field.”