In his smash hit single “Thinking Out Loud,” critically acclaimed ginger Ed Sheeran proclaimed that his love would endure even “when your legs don’t work like they used to before.”
For the gingers of Boston College, it’s safe to say that day has not yet come.
“I think people want to be ginger these days,” said Alice Moynihan, an exchange student from Ireland.
Scores of fiery-haired runners sprinted, scrambled, and in a handful of cases, stampeded over one another in the third annual ginger run.
“The conditions were a little rough in the beginning because everybody was stampeding through, but after that, everybody was just vibing and running,” said Margaret Jones, MCAS ’28.
The annual event began in 2023 with a series of posts on Herrd and the @bc.gingers instagram account promoting a race for ginger students. Since then, the ginger run has tested the athletic abilities of redhead Eagles—many with last names prefixed by an “O” or “Mc”—in a mini-thon around the Mods on the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day.
But for the runners, the event is more than just cardio—it’s a profound celebration of ginger-hood.
Emily Magee, MCAS ’28, who said she applied sunscreen that morning, called the day an “11 out of 10.”
“Truly, without this community, I wouldn’t love the BC experience as much,” Magee said.
Some runners even noted that the annual event brought more love and support for the ginger community on campus than usual.
“I feel like today is a special day—people are extra nice,” said Bridget Fraunheim, MCAS ’27.
As a native of Ireland, Moynihan said she grew up surrounded by more carrot head peers than she found at BC.
“We’re all this shade in Ireland, you know?” she said.
But for her, this only made the energy and camaraderie around the ginger run more special.
“The atmosphere felt very supportive,” Moynihan said.
For their part, the non-ginger students of BC flocked to the Mods, lining the course in green apparel to cheer on friends and strangers alike. At one point, an audible “C’mon Celtics!” erupted from a spectator in the crowd.
Going three years strong, the ginger run continues to offer lasting visibility for those with a hair hue determined by double-recessive alleles.
“I love walking around and just seeing fellow gingers everywhere I go,” Jones said. “I think it’s awesome that there’s so many of us.”
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