The ‘5K for the Kids’ color run proved to be a raving success for Business Research students and participants alike.

The organizers of the race, seniors Allie Courtwright, Baylee Burns and Stephanie McGovern, reflected upon the day of the race with satisfied relief.

“We definitely did a lot of prep work, and it definitely paid off in the end. Everything went very smoothly,” Courtwright said.

From the beginning of the school year, the girls knew they wanted to run the event to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Metrowest. With the help of Spanish teacher Karla Steele and business teacher Patricia Riley, they pulled the event together in just under two months time.

A total of 127 runners raised $4012.45 which will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club.

“Everyone was really colorful and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed themselves,” McGovern said.

The race was held at Algonquin on Sunday, October 26.

While all went well, some details had to be pulled together quickly before the race was ready. The organizers needed to find a replacement EMT and complete extra fundraising within days of the event.

“Up until the weekend before, we had to get sponsors and all sorts of fundraising just to give us a foundation for the day of,” Burns said. “It went better than expected. In the morning, everything came together.”

The race started promptly at 10 am, with participants following a route designed to run through the school grounds and Hemlock Drive, with color stations at every checkpoint along the route.

The winners of the event were senior Kendyl Finelli, freshman Kayla Burns, and junior Rachel White, as well as Grant Guttuso, Xavier Perez and freshman Nick Warren.

To Burns, Courtwright and McGovern, the race was more than just a class project.

“We realized, if we were going to do this, we had to do it right, since [the money raised] was going to the kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Metrowest,” Courtwright said.

“We told [the organization about the plans for the 5K] and they were so happy. We knew: ‘We can’t let these people down. They totally deserve it,’” Burns said.

The money will contribute to the cost of basic necessities, sports equipment, and maintenance of the building in Marlborough, as well as two other clubs in Hudson and Framingham.

“The [staff members of the] Boys and Girls Club couldn’t have been more appreciative,” McGovern said.

At the conclusion of the race, the outpour of excitement was overwhelming for the organizers of the event.

“We got a lot of buzz afterwards with people coming up to us saying, “So is this going to be a yearly thing? A yearly 5K?’” Courtwright said.

While the girls are unsure of whether it will be a recurring event, they are pleased with the results.

“They went above and beyond, which made me so proud,” Riley said.