The Students’ Association hopes to inspire deeper fellowship on campus by encourage participation in an event off campus. SA is pushing members of the ACU community to take part in the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. The goal of the project, entitled “SA Leads the Way to White Rock,” is to “train mind, body and spirit through an experience of a lifetime, in turn providing a chance to experience the distinctive community of ACU.”

SA Treasurer Luke Cochran and Chief Financial Officer Derek Zimmerman have been working on the event since they ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon together last February. While there, they found out Oklahoma Christian University had sponsored its students and faculty in the race.

“We thought that would be really cool if ACU did that,” said Cochran.

The ACU program is a result of cooperation between SA officers and several groups on campus. “SA Leads the Way to White Rock” also has the support of the Dallas White Rock Marathon officials.

“It’s not just SA putting this on,” Cochran said. “It’s really a cross-campus collaborative effort including Admissions, the Alumni Association and the ACU marketing department as well.”

ACU students who register through SA for either the half marathon or full marathon can subtract $20 from their registration fee. All runners associated with ACU, including students, faculty, staff and alumni will also receive a free high-performance running shirt to wear on race day and are invited to a free pasta dinner the night before the races.

Zimmerman, who has already completed five full marathons, said he wants to see ACU more involved in the running community.

“This potentially could have a much greater effect than just the dinner and the run,” Zimmerman said. “When you go out to one of those runs, there are thousands of people there to encourage, and they make all the difference. To feel the need for people to surround you and push you along the way is powerful.”

Assistant Director of Residence Life Kelly Sargent already has started training with a few friends for the half marathon.

“I’m overly intimidated because the farthest I’ve ever run is four miles, but I think I can do it,” Sargent said.

Cochran and Zimmerman said they expect ACU students involved in “SA Leads the Way” to train together before the race, and they said they want to have four or five students leading weekly pace groups.

“Through training and commitment, I know that staying true to difficult situations is going to be worth it in the end,” Cochran said.

The registration link for “SA Leads the Way to White Rock” can be found at www.acustudents.com. More details will be available next week, Cochran said.