The University of Tampa's second annual Spartan 5k will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, at UT’s Bob Martinez Sports Center. Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8 a.m.

First place winners in each category will receive free Chick-Fil-A for a year.

Last year’s event brought 300 people to campus, and the Chick-Fil-A prize made the event unique, said Matt Woods, race coordinator.

“Everybody loved it,” he said, adding, “You don’t have to get the fries. There are a lot of healthy alternatives.”

The four categories are male individual, female individual, students and UT alumni, faculty or staff. Medals will be awarded to the top three in each age group (17 and under, 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over).

All female winners will receive a year’s subscription to Her Sports & Fitness magazine. Every participant gets a T-shirt and race bag, and gift certificates and prizes will be raffled off during the event.

Teams of five or more compete for the Spartan Cup, where the five best scores on each team are added up to determine a winner. The winners receive a trophy with their names on it. Last year, the ROTC cadets and the business faculty each had teams.

“The professors said it was a phenomenal race,” Woods said.

More than a dozen professors and 50 to 60 students competed. The UT tennis and swim teams volunteered at the race.

The race is organized by the Board of Counselors. The presenting sponsor is Turner Construction and Development. Additional sponsors are Chick-Fil-A, The Tampa Tribune, Fast Signs, The Bank of Tampa, Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, Downtown Chiropractic and The Minaret.

Cost of registration is $30 on race day, $25 before Oct. 16. Students and military receive a $10 discount, and faculty, staff and alumni get $5 off.

To register or get more information about the event, visit www.spartan5k.com .
More information is available by calling Courtney O’Neil, director of community relations, at (813) 253-6220.