As the sun went down Thursday, Dunn Meadow lit up. Around 100 participants of the IU Timmy Global Health Glow Run hurled, shot and slapped glow-in-the-dark paint on one another in preparation for the one-mile run.
While the run was the main event, the night also included a live DJ, volleyball and an a cappella performance. Timmy Global Health at IU organized the run. The organization is a nonprofit that brings together volunteers to raise money in order to expand access to health care.
“The work that we do requires students from all backgrounds,” said Pooja Pandita, a director of fundraising. “It’s something that we can all take with us through college and into our lives, just volunteering and giving back to our community.”
Timmy Global Health was founded by Dr. Chuck Dietzen in 1997 and is based in Indianapolis. It was named after Dietzen’s older brother, who died in infancy.
In addition to the glow run, the IU chapter volunteers at Hoosier Hills Food Bank and visits elementary schools to teach kids about active lifestyles and healthy eating habits, Pandita said.
Lauren Lester, a senior, and Steven Thompson, another participant, were dressed in black and covered in neon greens, pinks and oranges. They had sprayed each other with a plastic paint gun.
Two participants high-fived each other with a handful of paint, while others chased each other around, paint guns locked and loaded.
While the event was happening, a parade of Riley Hospital marchers went by along East Seventh Street. One participant of the run went up to the people going by and extended a hand covered in orange paint. He got 15 handshakes.
The glow run included DJ’s Lemondoza and Jonetsu, according to the event’s Facebook page. The two pumped heavy electronic music and remixes that sounded like they would fit into the playlist of a late-night dance club.
But instead of dancing, people tossed paint at one another, passed glow-in-the-dark balls over a volleyball net and adorned themselves in glow-necklaces.
Freshman Sakhi Shah said the event sounded like a nice twist on running. She said Thursday’s warm weather made the event more attractive.
“I like the idea of staying fit and being able to give back to global health,” Shah said.
Freshman Anisha Alluri said her favorite part of the event was the paint. She said it’s always fun throwing stuff at your friends.
After a performance from the a cappella group Resting Pitch Face, runners were led in a cardio hip-hop warmup to the music. The run itself was only a mile long, going down East Seventh Street to Showalter Fountain before going behind Woodburn Hall and back to the Sample Gates.
All proceeds from the event went toward Timmy Global Health at IU’s partner organization in Guatemala, Pop Wuj. IU students from the organization travel to Xela, Guatemala every spring break to volunteer at the Pop Wuj Clinic.
