The University of Alabama’s School of Law will host their Race to the Courthouse 5k Run/Walk to support the International Justice Mission on Saturday.
This is the second year the race has continued after a short hiatus in the late 2000s. The race is focused more on supporting its cause, not competition, and students may run or walk the race.
“The Race to the Courthouse is a law school tradition that has been going on for many years,” third year law student Evelyn McKinney said. “The original race was informal, but law students took it seriously.” The race is open to anybody who wants to run, but the race is specifically designed to help reunite the School of Law community. The runners will begin at the law school and trek down University Boulevard to the new federal courthouse and back to the law school. The runners are taking part in supporting IJM, a nonprofit organization that advocates ending injustices around the world. The International Justice Mission aims to bring awareness to social issues that are in urgent need of legal jurisdiction and preventative measures.
“Today, millions of lives around the world are in the grip of injustice,” IJM said on their website. “[Our] first priority in its casework is immediate relief for the victim of the abuse being committed.”
The law school is supporting the IJM in this run because they wish to bring awareness to social injustices such as human trafficking, child prostitution, the AIDS epidemic and abuse towards women around the world.
“It was challenging to find a course that actually went from the law school to a courthouse but also was a 5k round trip,” McKinney said.
Many undergraduate students said they are also very enthusiastic about running the 5k.
“I would absolutely run this 5k,” freshman and New College major Alex Robinson said. “It’s one of the best law schools in the country, it’s the reason that I came to this University.”
Anything can happen during the race. Last year, the runners chased an ambulance during a portion of the race.
This event is designed to strengthen the UA Law community and build better relationships within the law program, especially for alumni. To serve the same purpose of keeping a connected community, the law school also hosted the Farrah Law Banquet on Feb. 24 in Birmingham.
The University’s law school is ranked as one of the top 100 law schools or law programs in the country, according to US News and World Report. They also boast one of the highest post-graduate employment rates, according to the law school’s website.
Registration will open at 8 a.m. the morning of the race, which begins 9 a.m. at the law school’s front porch. The price for running the 5k is $15, and runners will receive a t-shirt for participating and will be eligible for raffle and door prizes before and after the race. The first place male and female winners will both receive prizes.
