17th Annual Labor Day “Labor Your Legs Fun Run and Walk” to Honor Dave and Marcia Provorse

      Topeka, Kan. – The Sunflower Striders Running Club, in partnership with the Washburn University Foundation & Alumni Association and the Washburn University College of Arts & Sciences, will host the 17^th annual “Labor Your Legs Fun Run and Walk” Labor Day, Sept. 1, on the Washburn University campus. This free event begins at 8 a.m. at the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (SRWC), 1726 SW Durow Drive. The public is invited but are asked to register here: runsignup.com/Race/KS/Topeka/The16thAnnualLaborYourLegs

          Check-in for the run/walk begins at 7:30 a.m. at the SRWC. Participants will run/walk northeast and then circle the Washburn campus before finishing back at the SRWC. There will be a clock for those wanting to see their times. Participants are invited to stay afterward to enjoy some light refreshments.

            For those wishing to participate but who are unable to attend, they are invited to join virtually. They can submit their time via the registration website up to a week after the event.

            This year, the run/walk will honor the lives of the late Washburn University Professor Dave Provorse and his wife, Marcia Provorse. The Provorses embraced life to the fullest and were passionate about inspiring others to prioritize health and wellness in countless ways. While the event is free, any donations from this run/walk will be used to purchase a memorial statue to be placed on the Shunga Trail in Topeka in their honor. Any remaining donations will go toward the Provorse Educational fund at Washburn University, which provides scholarships to students pursuing a master’s degree in the Washburn University Psychology Department. Just look for the "Donate" button at the bottom of the registration page and click on donate.

            Dr. Dave Provorse began his nearly 34-year career at Washburn University in 1991. He was an associate professor in the Washburn University Psychology Department, earning the esteemed Washburn Ned Fleming Teaching Award in 2010. He taught six different graduate courses and three clinical practicums, accounting for nearly one-third of the master’s program curriculum. He chaired more than 60 master’s theses. Students he trained can be found working in almost every mental health clinic in Kansas. He taught the Marathon Training class through the Washburn University Kinesiology Department for 23 years, helping nearly 500 students achieve their “bucket list” goal of completing a marathon. He supervised graduate students conducting Mental Skills for Performance Enhancement groups for the women’s soccer, softball and basketball teams, as well as the men’s and women’s track and field and tennis teams. Beginning in 2016, Dr. Provorse helped coordinate presentations related to the prevention of sexual violence to Washburn introductory classes. He served as the Washburn University Psychology Department chair for 13 years. The Provorses’ time was tragically cut short when they were killed in a car crash on December 20, 2024, but their impact on the university, the community and beyond will live on.

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