After the friends of Jersey Mike Van Jura recovered from the shock of his sudden death, they vowed to raise money to support his children. They asked themselves, “What would he have hated?”

“Let’s do something athletic,” they said. “Let’s have a race.” And so, says Jason Bowser, the friends of Jersey Mike joined the 5K culture.

Once the weather warms up, an organization in our area is holding a 5K every weekend—and on some weeknights—often on the Harrisburg waterfront. The old walk-a-thon has strapped on a pair of running shoes, complete with timing tag, and is going for a 3.1-mile sprint.

Dress for Success South Central Pennsylvania added a timed run this year to its annual Power Walk in Hershey because supporters claimed that “walks are so 1980” and wanted more excitement, says Executive Director Ruth Koup.

“They shame you into doing this,” jokes Koup. “It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re walking.’”

Several trends converged to make 5Ks commonplace. First, nonprofits are diversifying their revenue sources.

“Rather than do a gala, they might do a run,” says Anne Gingerich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations. “The things that aren’t working, many nonprofits are looking to put those down and try new things.”

They’re also reaching out to younger supporters, although 5Ks easily attract older runners, too.

“It’s definitely a younger demographic,” says Stacia Zewe, an organizer of last month’s Glow Run for Lighten Up Harrisburg and Historic Harrisburg Association. “We need to broaden that base.”

The Norm

A 5K attracts large crowds and can be customized to any cause, such as the evening Glow Run, which spotlighted the campaign to repair city streetlights. They also dovetail with our growing health consciousness.

“Running or jogging has become a norm, where 5Ks and half-marathons end up becoming something that everybody can do, everybody can work towards,” says Mike Spooner, assistant manager of the running store Inside Track, Swatara Township. “It works great for charity X, so maybe it’ll work great for charity Y.”

Although “the first mile sucks no matter how far you run,” the 5K distance is comprehensible to the layperson, Bowser says.

“You’re not committing to a half-marathon,” he says. “You can wrap your head around it and say it’s gonna be hard, but I can do that.”

Harvest Health, a Carlisle-based, health-focused organizer of walks and runs, tries to keep races welcoming for cause supporters who “won’t come out of the house because they are intimidated by the runners,” says President and Founder Michelle Grochalski.

“Yes, we have walkers,” she says. “Yes, we have runners, and yes, we have in-betweeners.”

From Runners to Dregs

Many 5Ks are basically big costume parties, interrupted by a jog around blocked-off streets. Like some newer runs, the Glow Run concluded with socializing and drinks, as did the Jersey Mike run.

“They (Sawyer’s Cantina) graciously partnered with us just to keep that sense of community and fun going,” says Zewe, of the Glow Run after-party. “It’s not just run and go home.”

The Jersey Mike event’s rock ‘n roll theme honors the man who reinvigorated Harrisburg’s music scene. When the first run in 2013 wildly exceeded expectations by attracting 450 runners, organizers felt overwhelmed until “an army of volunteers” took over, Bowser says.

“They saw how community gets together, that they can have nice things,” he said. “A 5K invites everyone from the professional runners to the dregs that never get out of bed.”

Dress for Success increasingly heard people say they’d come to its walk, but they were runners, Koup said. So, she contracted with an organization to time the runners and, with the greater participation, had to add “accommodations.”

“Now that we have runners, all of a sudden we have to get port-a-potties,” says Koup.

Signing up for a 5K motivates participants to stay in shape, organizers agree.

“It’s healthy. It’s good for your heart. It’s great for your mind,” says Bowser. “I want other people to know about this because I don’t want to lose any more friends.”

“You start training for your first Color Run, and hopefully, you think, ‘I really like feeling in good shape,’” says the Inside Track’s Spooner.

Says Grochalski, “Just get out and walk. Take the first step. It’s amazing where your feet will take you.”

In the turnout and the army of volunteers for the first two Rock + Runs, Bowser saw growing financial support for Jersey Mike’s children—Kaiya, 11, and Lennon, 2—and a message, as well.

“Life sometimes deals you a crap hand, but you gotta make the best of it, and you’ve gotta stay positive, and you’ve gotta find the good in everything,” he says. “Yeah, you lost your dad, but here’s a whole community that is gonna show you what a cool guy he was.”