MU’s 4-H Center for Youth Development will host its first Glow Run on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m.

Participants will meet at Peace Park, where they are provided complimentary gift bags —containing glow sticks, bracelets, coupons for local businesses and T-shirts that read ‘Glow Run 5K Lights On Afterschool’ — as well as free food, water and music.

The one-mile race will begin at 5:30 p.m. and take participants on a loop around the Francis Quadrangle and Jesse Hall, then back to Peace Park.

The 5K race will take place shortly after the one-mile race. Participants will loop around the campus in a preset route down University Avenue, College Avenue, Hospital Drive, Tiger Avenue, Rollins Street, Hitt Street, across Lowry Mall to Conley Avenue, and up Sixth Street back to Peace Park.

Participants can choose to either walk or run in both races.

“We wanted more families to come out with their kids, but the event is also open to anyone,” event coordinator Anne Reeder said. “More kids have registered for the 5K than for the one-mile (race).”

Medals are awarded to the top male and female runners and top two participants in each age group for both races.

Nearly 467 people have registered for the event so far, Reeder said.

“We were really excited, but were expecting only about a 150 people for our first one,” Reeder said.

Online registration for the event has closed.

The idea for the event came from the National After School Association, an advocacy organization that lobbies for afterschool program funding in the capitol and participates in various outreach activities.

“A lot of third graders go home to empty houses, so the afterschool programs are very important to community; they keep kids safe, keep them engaged, do tutoring, social development and behavioral development,” Reeder said. “(The Glow Run) is our way of celebrating the Lights on Afterschool campaign that the National Afterschool Alliance does to raise awareness about afterschool programs.”