The Lauren McCluskey Race for Campus Safety was held Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the McCarthey Family Track and Field in Salt Lake City, bringing together a community to raise funds and awareness for improving college responses to stalking and relationship violence. The annual event, held on Halloween morning, honors the legacy of Lauren McCluskey through a variety of race distances and a family-friendly festival.
Mission and Race Details
The race offered participants three different distance options: a 1K, a 5K, and a 10K. According to the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, the event is designed to create a space for learning, connection, and collective action while supporting the foundation's mission of enhancing campus safety and accountability through research, advocacy, and programming.
Event Schedule and Activities
The event's schedule began at 9:00 AM with opening speakers and vendors. Following a pre-race warmup led by a certified instructor from EōS Fitness at 9:50 AM, the race distances commenced with the 1K start at 10:00 AM, followed by the 5K and 10K starts at 10:15 AM.
Community Festival and Halloween Theme
In addition to the athletic competitions, the race featured a festival with various activities for all ages. The Lauren McCluskey Foundation noted that attendees had access to educational booths, live entertainment, cheer squads, inflatable obstacle courses, and yard games. Because the event took place on Halloween, vendor booths offered candy for children participating in trick-or-treating.
Mascot Appearances
The festival included appearances by several sports mascots. Scheduled participants were slated to meet Bumble the Bee from the Salt Lake Bees, Leo the Lion from Real Salt Lake, Cleo the Lioness from the Utah Royals, and the University of Utah’s mascot, SWOOP.
Accessibility and Participation
The race was designed to be accessible to a wide demographic, with participants ranging from children as young as 1 year old to adults as old as 80. The course was noted as being stroller-friendly to accommodate families with young children.
Sponsors and Giveaways
Sponsorship and giveaways were also part of the event's programming. Brooks Running sponsored weekly running shoe giveaways leading up to the race day, with winners being selected from the pool of registered participants. EōS Fitness provided a vendor booth in the festival area, offering participants the opportunity for assisted stretching and compression recovery.
Foundation Mission
The Lauren McCluskey Foundation is dedicated to transforming campus cultures across the nation by promoting awareness, research, and resources to effectively respond to relationship violence and stalking. The foundation's work focuses on making campuses safer through systemic change and collective action.
