El Paso runners got together and raised money for scholarships for future engineers.
The El Paso chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) hosted the Future Engineers 5K and 1 mile walk 8 a.m., Oct. 29.
The race started and finished at Up and Running located at 3233 N Mesa St. Registration fee was $20 for students and $25 for the general public before Oct. 27.
On the day of the race, the registration fee was $30 for all last-minute participants.
“The race today benefits our TSPE endowment in engineering that we have here at UTEP,” said Alejandra Gallegos,one of the race coordinators. “So far, we have raised over $76,000 that we will be able to contribute to that endowment. It’s all thanks to different events that we have hosted, including this 5K.”
Participants of the race woke up bright and early Saturday morning to run through the west side.
Runners were dressed in their best Halloween costumes to show off their spirit during the race.
One couple was dressed as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“We are here to support the community because it is a great event,” said Michelle Gonzalez who participated in the race with her husband dressed as one half of a PB&J. “My run went great and it was a lot of fun. We heard about this event on race adventures, we’re always participating in local races like this one.”
Participants ran through Sun Bowl Drive., made a right on Stanton, and a left on Kansas street.
After, runners made their way on Rim Road., made a left on North Campbell and a left on Blacker Street.
To finish the 5k, runners ran back on Kansas Street, then made a right on Stanton and finished at the Up and Running establishment.
“It’s going a little slower than other years, but we’re getting back into it. It’s been three years since we’ve put one on due to the pandemic and everything that has been going on,” Gallegos said. “So, we’re getting our feet wet again and we’re trying to start back up our annual 5K we used to have before 2019.”
Besides the 5K race, there was also a one-mile future engineers’ race.
The future engineers race started on Kern Street and turned right on Sun Bowl Drive.
After the Sun Bowl, runners took a turn on Stanton and then made their way back to Kern to finish off.
Kids participated and it got them interested in becoming an engineer if they attend UTEP in the future.
“The money is used for the TSPE endowment, which provides scholarships for high school students pursuing a degree in engineering at any university in Texas,” Gallegos said. “80 people participated in our race today.”
The organization hold different events in order to gain more traction towards the engineer major.
“We hold events like this to try to make people aware of the engineering profession. We want for there to be more engineers here in El Paso,” Gallegos said.
To find more information on the El Paso Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, visit their Facebook or Instagram.
Alyson Rodriguez is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]; @alyson_rod1127 on Twitter.