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On the brisk morning of Sunday, November 12, pizza was on the minds of 2,065 runners, who lined up at the start of the Colony Grill Hot Oil 5K Race. Along the course the loud cheers of ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp student athletes from the Cheerleading, Dance, Men’s Cross Country, and Women’s Cross Country teams rang loud in support of the runners. Stags also showed their caring spirit by handing out water to parched participants along the route. As runners neared the finish line bobbing antlers came into focus. It was Lucas, the beloved Stag Mascot, jumping up and down with excitement as people crossed the finish line. The overall race winner was Sean Ferguson (15:34) and the top female runner was Shannon Hockey (19:06).

A post-run party behind the Colony Grill restaurant was a welcomed sight for the participants as they rounded the corner to the back of the restaurant to find music and the aroma of pizza filling the air. There was definitely no shortage of pizza and beverages – Colony made 1,000 pies in two hours, and 6,000 slices of pizza were consumed up by deserving participants along with 4,000 beers and 3,000 waters.

"The Hot Oil 5k was a great opportunity for the team to give back to the community and be involved in something that we all do personally. To see the great turnout of Fairfield students and alumni at this event really made the event an all-around great experience, and we look forward to helping out for years to come," said Chris Fischer, Class of 2020 and member of Men's Cross Country team.

This year, ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp donated a 65-inch flat screen TV to be raffled along with other generously donated prize items. The lucky winner was Drew Brown, whose daughter graduated from ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp in the spring of 2017. Community camaraderie poured out of the ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp tent as student athlete volunteers handed out t-shirts, cups, stickers, and other promotional items. At the tent, alumni dressed in their Stag gear shared stories of their days at Fairfield as current students and potential future-Stags took photos with Lucas.

"As alumni, we can confidently say that the Colony 5K truly embodied the spirit of the town of Fairfield. The ability for this fine establishment to raise $40,000 for the local police and fire departments is truly exceptional. We are looking forward to running the race again next year", said Lianna Cocchi '15, MS'16 who ran with Austin Murray '15, MS'16.

Thanks to all involved, $40,000 will be donated to local Police and Fire Departments by Colony Grill. Ken Martin, co-owner of Colony Grill stated, “We are so proud that our little race that began seven years ago has grown into a large community event that puts smiles on a lot of faces and helps facilitate resources for our local first responders. We are grateful to all who have a hand in making the race a special event on the local calendar.”