Plans are in the works to update this year’s second annual 5K Can Run and the one-mile White Boot Waddle set to take place during the Swamp Stomp festival.
Christie Landry, biology instructor, is the coordinator for these events going on during the Swamp Stomp festival this year.
According to Landry, the idea for the 5K came about in celebration of the fifth anniversary of Swamp Stomp. The one mile fun run was added to give everyone a chance to complete a race but without the pressure of competition.  
“The Swamp Stomp is a cultural celebration of Thibodaux and one of the many influences that have made an impact on this area,” Landry said. “This 5K and fun run are a way of getting people more involved and will hopefully draw more people to this festival in the near future.”
According to Landry, the Can Run got its name because of its affiliation with the Nicholls Can! food drive last year. Runners were asked to either donate two cans or $2 for the cause. This year, they are organizing the donations a bit differently. Five dollars of the registration fee for each runner will go to Nicholls Can! food drive, since it will not be going on at the same time this year as it normally would.
Landry said, “I feel that making the race coincide with the food drive will give people in the community the opportunity to donate to the cause if they do not have the time to contribute in their daily life.”
According to Landry, the Nicholls Can! food drive donates the raised funds and non-perishable food items to many different food banks around Lafourche Parish.
“The one-mile White Boot Waddle was just a catchy name for the fun run that was offered along with the 5K,” Landry said.
In last year’s inaugural race, the 60 participants and three dogs exceeded Landry’s expectations.
“My committee and I were a little worried because only about 20 people pre-registered, but a ton of people registered the day of and many of those participants ran both races which made us very excited,” Landry said.
Landry is hoping for a bigger outcome this year with a new goal of 100 participants.
“My only hope is that my goal will be exceeded once more, and this event can become bigger than last year,” Landry said.
The routes for both races are strictly on Nicholls’ campus, and the committee is hoping the make the Can Run an official 5K in the coming years to attract more competitive runners.
Another update with this year’s race is that art instructor Michael Williams will be creating unique medals for the winners of the race.
“Michael can melt down certain medals and pour it into a mold and make these awards one-of-a kind,” Landry said. “We are very excited to see how they turn out.”
Eventually, Landry would like to see more team involvement among participants.
“I think it would be cool to have different student organizations have friendly competition against each other to make the races interesting,” Landry said.
 “I hope to see these races become a staple of the Swamp Stomp festival,” Landry said. “I really want to see this event grow and stick around for years to come.”