Journalism student Callie Jackson nears the finish line of the Paint Me Loyalist race. Photo by Angus Argyle, QNet News
By Angus Argyle [1]
BELLEVILLE – “I’m cold as hell,” puffed Quintin Jolliffe as he crossed the finish line, dripping in paint, at Loyalist College’s charitable outdoor obstacle course last week.
Jolliffe, a first-year Construction Renovation student at the college, was one of the participants in the Paint Me Loyalist race to help raise donations for both Gleaners Food Bank [2] and the college’s own food bank.
Tiffany Young, who is a student in the Public Relations program, helped create the event. “The donated food will help feed hungry people not just in the community but at the college too,” she said.
The race took place during the hour-long Universal Break at the college Wednesday. The outdoor course was five kilometres in length. Participants faced various obstacles that included coloured rings, arches that needed to be crawled through, paint-filled balloons that were popped and paint blasters that sprayed the racers as they ran by.
Young said the pre-registration for the obstacle course was slow, with only eight people signing up.
But as the Universal Break began, several other participants signed up in hopes of winning one of the gift-card prizes awarded to the finishing contestants. Students could register as a team or as an individual at the beginning of the break. Team sizes could be anywhere from three to 10 members.
Ashley Melvin, a second-year Protection, Security and Investigation student who ran as part of a team, said that because of the cold weather, “it was challenging but it was really fun.”
Brittany Curtis, one of Melvin’s teammates from the same program, said: “The run went well. It was a good experience and a good cause to raise money and donations for the food drive.”