By Alvaro Ayala
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JAN. 31, 2024 – Prepare for a splash of color and a spirit of fun at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Dye Hard Orange 5K on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Harlingen.
Hosted by University Recreation (UREC), the third annual race will begin at the Harlingen Clinical Education Building at 8 a.m. Participants can look forward to a vibrant run as orange powder transforms the trail into a festive celebration.
"This is our third year doing the fun run, and we expect the entire community to come out and join us," said Fay Kennan, UREC fitness and wellness manager.
Unlike traditional 5K races, the Dye Hard Orange event emphasizes enjoyment over competition. The run will be untimed without official winners, encouraging participants to embrace an active lifestyle and the spirited camaraderie of being a Vaquero.
Adding a unique Vaquero twist, the running trail will be festively covered in orange powder, creating a fun party atmosphere for the participants. Participants are encouraged to wear white shirts, ensuring they finish the race with a colorful, orange-drenched souvenir.
"At every kilometer, we'll have a powder station where participants can get doused with orange-colored powder," Kennan explained. "This is a really fun event for people that don't mind getting a little color on them."
Participants are strongly advised to wear protective gear, such as sunglasses, goggles and bandanas during the race.
RACE PACKET PICKUP
Participants must pick up their race packets the day before the event at the following locations:
- Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, 12-5 p.m. – UTRGV Harlingen Clinical Education Building (HCEBL), 2102 Treasure Hills Blvd., Harlingen
- Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, 5-9 p.m. – Harlingen Convention Center, 701 Harlingen Heights Dr., Harlingen
Each race packet includes a commemorative T-shirt for the first 150 registered UTRGV students and the first 150 UTRGV community members. Additionally, the first 300 race finishers will receive commemorative medals.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
- Free for UTRGV students with a university ID.
- $20 for UTRGV staff, faculty and alumni.
- $25 for non-UTRGV participants.
Last-minute runners can still register on-site between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., one hour before the race begins.
To register for the Dye Hard Orange 5K run, visit https://utrgv.news/utrgv-dye-hard-orange-5k.
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.