QU community ‘hops’ to help stop hunger

What has 50 legs and runs around campus?

The second annual Bunny Hop launched from the soccer fields at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday March 30.

“It’s a fun event,” said junior Taylor Palkovich. “It’s nice because its spring and we like to work out.”

Registrants for the Hop were asked a small favor.

“The entry fee was a non-perishable food item,” event coordinator Jennifer Hirsch said, “We’re donating it to the Connecticut Food Bank.”

By participating, members of the Quinnipiac community are supporting the largest non-profit organization aimed at easing the problem of hunger in Connecticut.

Students and faculty began meeting and warming up near the outdoor basketball courts at around 3:00 p.m.

“We have 25 people participating this year,” Hirsch said.

The three mile run/walk begins at the soccer field, stretches back around toward the tennis courts, runs along the grass on New Road, winds between Echlin and the School of Law, returns to the soccer fields and repeats itself.

The entire route is marked with orange flags, so runners don’t wander off the path. Just to be sure, event staff recruited members of the track team to help by keeping watch along some of the more puzzling areas of the route.

“I think it’s a good idea,” junior Sheila Josephson said, “It’s a good way to raise awareness.”

The Bunny Hop, a success in the previous year, has attracted return participants.

“This is my second time,” Law School Psychologist Dr. William Buick said. Buick stated that he planned to run the entire three miles and took off at the head of the pack when Hirsch announced the start.

Some participants decided to take it a little easier. “I plan on doing a little bit of both,” junior Lori Ann Belfiore said while laughing.

Whether it’s the exercise or community service that attracts racers, they don’t have to wait until next spring to do it again.

“We also do the same thing in the fall,” Hirsch said “It’s called the Turkey Trot.”

The Turkey Trot, autumnal cousin to the Bunny Hop, is responsible for bringing some of the attention.

“We did the Turkey Trot in the fall, and we had a lot of fun with that, so now we’re doing this,” Josephson said.

The race runs for exactly one hour, coming to a close at 4:30 p.m. and ending where it began.

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