Get those running shoes ready, Rams.

The Office of International Programs is hosting a Run for Relief 5K with the goal of raising support and funds for international students whose home countries are experiencing conflict or crisis.

The event was initially slated for March 25 but had to be rescheduled due to a spring snowstorm. It will now happen at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 7. Organizers will honor all previous entries, and registration remains open.

The race follows a route starting and ending in front of OIP’s campus headquarters on the Oval at Laurel Hall.

The need for support is especially pressing due to the war in Ukraine recently surpassing the one-year mark, as well as the recent devastating earthquakes affecting Turkey, Syria and the surrounding region.

CSU and OIP support students from more than 100 countries, and International Enrollment Center Director Stene Verhulst said he saw an opportunity to help in a timely manner.

“The last 18 months have been tough on our international community,” Verhulst said. “Ranging from civil unrest to wars and natural disasters, the need for scholarships to help lighten the burden on the students and scholars we support is acute. This event can help us provide funds to students by the end of this semester.”

Registration for the race is $25 for the public and $10 for CSU students, and all funds will be set aside to directly benefit current and future international students at CSU.

That cost includes race entry, a T-shirt and other items donated from local businesses. That includes Mugs, which has partnered with OIP to donate a pre- or post-race coffee to participants.

“We have a lot of people that can help in big ways,” Verhulst said. “But putting on a community 5K with a lower registration fee for students, of which 100% will go toward scholarships, is a way they can make a difference.”

Runners and walkers will begin the race on the Oval and meander through campus on a route that is largely similar to the annual Homecoming 5K run.

While the race isn’t being officially timed, it is still expected to bring about some friendly competition — and more importantly, awareness and scholarship fundraising.

“The idea for a race came from a couple of us in Spruce Hall who like to run,” Verhulst said. “We just thought the community might want to rally around a chance to get outside, enjoy campus in the spring, and do it all for a good cause.”

Registration and race information can be found at: international.colostate.edu/iec/5k-run/