Run, Charles Sturt, run

In December 2021, the Charles Sturt Alumni team hosted a month long ‘alumni fun run’ inviting participants to get active while helping to create a brighter future for students from regional centres. Together, they notched up more than 10,000km and raised $6,000 for student scholarships.

To enter, alumni were encouraged to make a donation to the Charles Sturt Foundation. The aim was to run, walk or cycle a total of 30kms in the month, going at their own pace and sharing their journey using #runCharlesSturtrun on social media.

In total, 204 alumni and friends participated in the run, with a number of alumni ‘ambassadors’ from the health and fitness world volunteering their time and expertise to coach everyone, provide tips and tricks on stretching, recovery, motivation, nutrition and techniques.

In addition to committing to regular exercise and reaping the health benefits of that, participants had a lot of fun together and raised a significant amount of money for scholarships. It was a win-win-win situation! New limited-edition merchandise was released specifically for the event, including hats, socks and picnic blankets, and weekly prize packs were given away as part of themed social media challenges. And while both the merchandise and prizes were a drawcard, the thing that kept everyone going was the chance to make a difference.

Ultimately the biggest success was the ability to band together as an alumni community to help our students on the ground in a meaningful way through the Regional Impact Fund. This fund allows us to address issues as and when they arise, whether it be drought, bushfires or floods. Seeing the tangible result of individual students being supported to overcome challenges intrinsic to regional life was incredibly rewarding.