The first Vaqueros 5k stampede will be taking place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at La Playa Stadium. 

The Vaquero 5k stampede is a fundraiser for the athletic department and includes a 5k run or walk that takes participants around the whole City College campus. 

The stampede is being hosted in hopes of raising funding for City College athletic teams. Athletic Director LaDeane Hansten, emphasized that the fundraiser will directly help the Vaqueros Athletic Trust. This trust helps all athletic teams at City College cover fees for equipment, travel, meals, and special events. 

“We hope that this fundraiser can be an annual fundraiser,” Hansten said. “It’s a good community event as well since Santa Barbara is such a big running community.” 

The course will take participants throughout the City College campus, starting at La Playa Stadium, the runners will proceed across Loma Alta, onto West Campus’ big hill. Runners will then keep going throughout West Campus until crossing the Loma Alta bridge.

After crossing the Loma Alta Bridge, the route continues to the service road that leads down to the baseball fields and Pershing Park. Finally, the last bit of the race will lead back up the service road to the bus station on East Campus, down Loma Alta Drive, and back into La Playa Stadium. 

Athletic Coordinator Michael Gamboa, shared, “It’s a great opportunity to see our entire campus. I actually designed it so that it’s primarily on campus, which is pretty cool.” 

The athletics department wants to gather as many cross-country runners as possible in hopes of rebuilding the school’s cross-country program. 

This event will be open to the public, and all age groups are encouraged to participate.  The race will be divided by age group from the ages of 5 years old to 80 years old. There will also be medals for runners coming in first, second, and third place in each age group. 

There will also be activities hosted by the sponsors of the stampede. Rabbit, a running apparel company, will be hosting a pre-run on Friday the day before the Stampede, where they will have raffles and giveaways for the participants. In addition to the pre-run, there will also be booths from other sponsors on the day of the Stampede.  

Individuals can register for the stampede on the event’s official website which includes a $50 participation fee.