NECC will host its Sixth Annual Campus Classic on October 13.

The Campus Classic is changing course! The Annual Northern Essex Community College Campus Classic 5K and Fun Run, which has historically taken place on the first Saturday in May, will be held on Saturday, October 13 this year to kick of the college’s second annual homecoming.

The USATF-certified 5K race will begin at 10 a.m. on the college’s Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott Street, and wind through the beautiful rural campus and surrounding residential neighborhood. Competitive runners—as well as novices and walkers—are invited to participate. Online registration is now open.

The general race entry fee is $25 before October 1; $30 after. NECC students with valid campus IDs can register for a discounted price of $10 through race day.

Children ages 12 and under are invited to participate in the Fun Run, which is organized by age group, at 9 a.m. Registration for this event is $10 before October 1 and $15 after.  The Fun Run will coincide with a range of other fun activities for children including face painting, coloring, and a “touch-a-truck” featuring various types of emergency response vehicles for kids to climb and explore.

The first 250 5K registrants and the first 50 Fun Run registrants will receive free t-shirts. Award categories include top three male and female overall plus top three by the following age divisions: under 15, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+.  All Fun Run participants will receive awards as well.

For the first time, the Campus Classic will have a chip-timed start and finish, courtesy of Bay State Race Services.

Because this is a campus event, participants are encouraged to wear apparel from their college as they run or walk. Participants are also welcome and encouraged to remain after the race for NECC’s Homecoming.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the NECC Fund, which provides support for student scholarships and academic programs. Covanta, one of the world’s largest owners and operators of Energy-from-Waste conversion infrastructure, is the Platinum Sponsor.

For more information visit www.campusclassic5k.com or contact Lindsay Graham, NECC director of alumni and community relations, at lgraham@necc.mass.edu.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.