The Rampace 5K is an annual event that has been going on since 2009 in order to raise money for the journalism program. Year after year people have come out to this community event to run and cheer on family and friends. By 8:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12th, the weather was in the 30’s, but that did not stop the local RHS community from participating in the event.
Parent and student volunteers were stationed all around the course, pointing runners in the right direction and offering support for those who chose to run. The race took runners around the track, and out the back towards the Rockville Civic Center, where they looped around and headed back to RHS. Runners crossed the finish line moments before re-entering the school, where volunteers, including Rammy, were eagerly waiting to congratulate them.
This year’s race was different than past years because for the first time, the proceeds and planning process of the race were split between the journalism and athletic department.
Athletic Director Michael Hayes said, “We have been helping [the Rampage] with the organization and promotion by trying to get the word out to more people to get involved.”
The athletic department had been very helpful with the planning process this year, working side by side with the journalism department to make sure the race ran smoothly, as well as helping to act on new ideas and plan a pre-race pasta dinner the night before.
The first finisher was alumnus Justin Travis(“16), who used to run cross country and track for RHS. Travis loves to run, and came out for the Rampace to be reunited with his cross country friends for the race, including second place finisher junior David Barney.
“I love keeping myself in shape and it keeps me happy.. I love to [run],” Travis said.
The first female finisher was Alida Anderson, who has been running the Rampace 5K since 2010.
“The race is different this year because they gave out medals to the males and the females and they also gave us gift certificates, which was really awesome,” she said. “It seems like more people know about it then before.”
Looking forward, the school hopes to keep the Rampace 5K alive as the fun community event that it has come to be.
“We are brainstorming doing a children’s fun run or making it a 10K,” Hayes said. “Anything to see if we can get more participants because it is a great event.”
It is clear that RHS plans to keep this great event running, and keep making improvements to ensure the continued success of the race for years to come. This event will also continue to aid the RHS journalism program.