Cinco De Mayo Run on May 2 Benefits Memorial Scholarship Fund

1998 Cinco de Mayo festivities in Fort Collins will kick off with the fifth annual Gil Gutierrez Cinco/Cinco 5K Run and Walk at 8 a.m. May 2 on the Colorado State University Oval.

Runners and volunteers of all ages and abilities are invited to participate. Cost for pre-registration and a race T-shirt is $15 for the general public and $13 for students and seniors. Race-day registration begins at 6:30 a.m. May 2; entry fee on the day of the race is $17. For registration information, contact Louie Sanchez at (970) 491-7165.

Entry forms are available at the following locations: Colorado State Lory Student Center, Room 182; Colorado State Intramural Sports, Student Recreation Center; Foot of the Rockies, 1205 W. Elizabeth St.; Runner’s Roost Ltd., 1669 S. College Ave.; Orchard’s Athletic Club, 289 E. 29th St., Loveland.

A free children’s fun run will be held after participants have completed the 5K run. Children under the age of eight will race once around the Oval. Door prizes, giveaways, announcements and refreshments will follow the competitions. Division winners will again be announced during the city’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in Old Town.

"Gil was dearly loved by his family, colleagues and students, and this event gives us all a chance to celebrate the many things he did for Colorado State and Fort Collins," said Varo Maldonado, assistant director in the Office of Admissions and a close friend of Gutierrez. An accomplished runner, Gutierrez was hit by a drunk driver while running in August 1993.

Gutierrez, who served as ombudsman for Colorado State from 1990-93, was committed to providing access to students interested in higher education.

The run is sponsored by "The Friends of Gil Gutierrez" organizing committee, Colorado State Intramural Sports and the Cinco de Mayo Planning Committee. Proceeds from the event are designated for the Gil Gutierrez Memorial Scholarship Fund.

"The Friends of Gil Gutierrez" committee distributed two scholarships of $555.55 last September to Colorado State seniors Joyce Kafati and Sabrina Thomas. Both are first-generation students. Kafati, a sociology major, grew up in Denver, but is originally from El Salvador.

"It is a very big honor for me to receive a scholarship named for a man who believed in giving back to the community and in giving others opportunities," said Kafati.

"Five" is the theme for the fifth annual Cinco/Cinco Run, as organizers want to raise enough money for five $555.55 scholarships. The scholarship amount was selected to reflect five fives, or "cinco cincos."

"Nothing can bring our friend Gil back, but the run and scholarship honors him by bringing our community together," said Barbara Musslewhite, a member of "The Friends of Gil Gutierrez" committee. "The day is a community, campus and family day with less focus on competition."

For more information or to make a donation for the Cinco/Cinco Run, call Varo Maldonado at (970) 491-6311 or Louie Sanchez at (970) 491-7165. For more information about volunteering, call Amy Noeldner at (970) 491-2011. To nominate a student for the memorial scholarship, call Sanchez.

For more information about Fort Collins’ Cinco de Mayo festivities, call Rich Salas at (970) 491-5722.