Students in UVM’s Wellness Environment have a different idea about what "4/20" -- 4:20 p.m. on April 20 -- should represent: a commitment to fitness and health rather than an opportunity to challenge marijuana laws, a custom on college campuses across the country.
The substance-free living environment is hosting a 5K race on that day and time. WE's mix of a neuroscience course and amenities promoting health has prompted coverage by the Boston Globe, CBS News, and NBC News.com.
The event is open to members of the UVM and surrounding communities and already has 700 participants, including Burlington mayor Miro Weinberger.
Registration is free. All participants will receive a WE t-shirt specially designed for the event. The race course begins at the Archie Post Athletic Complex on the south side of UVM’s Gucciardi Recreation & Fitness Center.
“The UVM WE 4/20 5K for Wellness is the first of many UVM WE/City of Burlington events focused on the fact that the majority of students at UVM, residents of the city of Burlington and citizens of the state of Vermont make healthy choices,” said Jim Hudziak, a faculty member in UVM’s College of Medicine who is the creator and director of the WE program. “The five kilometer walk/run is devoted to the celebration of the WE central theme of ‘let's build healthy brains and healthy bodies.’”
After the event, information will be be available on health promotion strategies such as mentoring, mindfulness, nutrition and yoga, all of which are central to the WE model.