Finals can be a stressful time for students, and each students handles this stress in a different way.
Some students choose to pull all-nighters to study, some slack off and try not to think about their pending papers, projects, and exams, and some strip down to their “tropical clothing” and run down the pathway between Blackmore Library and Yochum Hall.
Formerly known as Born to Run, and this year called The Final Stretch, it has become a Capital tradition for students to walk or run in the buff through one of the most heavily trafficked areas of campus the weekend before finals.
While in recent years, the nudity part of Born to Run has become optional and even heavily discouraged, the concept and the event itself is still around.
Saturday, Phi Kappa Psi will be keeping the tradition alive.
As described by the Facebook event created by Phi Psi member Jordan Canada, The Final Stretch is “A philanthropy event where students donate the clothes off their backs and sprint along the pathway that connects Blackmore Library to Yochum Hall.”
Canada’s explanation of the event continues, “Students are ENCOURAGED to wear swimsuits or other warm/tropical clothing under their donated clothes in honor of summer because of the symbolism of relief when the summer months happen after finals, however you are permitted to wear ANYTHING under your donated clothes, so GET CREATIVE!”
The pathway will be marked off with yellow caution tape, and Public Safety is aware of the event and will be patrolling it. No one will be allowed to run through the fountains.
Despite all the caution, The Final Stretch is meant to be a fun and stress-free event. Again quoting the Phi Kappa Psi Facebook event, “The run benefits students as a way to run off the stress of finals week and away to create new healthy memories amongst friends. This event (estimated to last no more than a half hour) will provide a much needed study break for students during the Library’s twenty four hour study night, going along with research proving that running decreases stress.”
All students are invited to attend, but are reminded that anyone who is acting belligerently will be asked to leave the event. The Final Stretch begins at 10:45p.m.
