LOGAN, Utah – Utah State Athletics will be hosting the Juneteenth 5K Fun Run on Saturday, June 18, as part of the university’s three days of events in observance of the end of slavery. Juneteenth commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came two-and-a-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Celebrations broke out among the 250,000 newly freed black people in Texas, and Juneteenth was born. That December, slavery in America was formally abolished with the adoption of the 13th Amendment. Saturday’s 5K Fun Run, which is open to people of all ages, will take place on the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course and begin at 8:30 a.m. Manny Martins, who is entering his second year at the helm of Utah State’s soccer program, will be the guest starter. Student-athletes from the football, soccer and men’s and women’s cross country programs will be among the many volunteers on hand for the event. Preregistration for the fun run is encouraged, but you can also register at