SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, laughed as hundreds of young single adults cheered for her.
“You don’t get that kind of cheer in the Conference Center,” she joked. “I don’t get assignments like this very often ... where I’m actually having to run. I run between meetings, I run between this and [that], but [now] I’m literally running. And I’ve been trying to keep up with you.”
Sister Yee addressed the YSAs before they ran in the 5K sunset fun run on Aug. 12, part of the 2023 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference.
The conference, themed “Together in Christ,” is being held throughout the month of August with different activities each weekend for young adults ages 18 to 31. It kicked off Aug. 5 with a concert featuring OneRepublic, Jordan Smith and Jordin Sparks, and continued Aug. 11 with a dance at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah.
The Aug. 12 run started and ended at the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, which was dedicated the following morning on Sunday, Aug. 13.
Rachel Shaw is a member of the Utah Area YSA Conference committee, comprised of about 35 young single adults and tasked with planning the conference. She said the sold-out fun run planned for about 5,000 people.
“So what’s really cool, I think, is that so many thousands of YSAs are going to have a connection with the Saratoga Springs temple because they’re going to have this experience,” she said. “And the goal is that they’re also going to have a better experience with all temples.”
Running toward the temple
Speaking to the crowd before the run, Shaw said God gave her inspiration for the 5K: thousands of YSAs running toward the temple as the sun went down, holding onto lights and connecting with each other.
The plan was for all to share the light, she said. The plan was for unity and “everyone encouraging each other [and] learning other people’s names.” The plan was to come “together in Christ.”
She continued that 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, might feel like a long distance, but the goal is helping each other reach the temple. “And if that doesn’t make you excited, I don’t know what does.”
Shaw said running in the dark towards the temple, carrying glow sticks and flashlights, symbolizes walking the gospel path in a fallen world. In real life, carrying the light means focusing on the Savior.
“As you are running today, I want you to think about the joy that you are going to get as you are running in darkness with a group of people,” she said. “Remember that, when you are running through ... your own darkness, you can experience that same joy when you are gathering together in Christ.”
Sister Yee added that the temple symbolizes the covenant relationship every individual can have with God. Wherever someone runs in life, and even if they leave the path, “He’s so close. He’s right there with you. ... Each of you [has] felt His love in some way, or are hoping to feel His love in some way. That’s what brought us all together.”
‘We can do it’
Volunteers handed out glow sticks and small flashlights as runners assembled beneath a blow-up arch that marked the starting line. A second blow-up arch nearby marked the finish line.
To avoid overcrowding on the route, runners were released in staggered groups. YSAs cheered for each other as each group went out, and some people even stood along the route with supportive signs.
As runners finished, they were greeted with snacks, shaved ice and more cheers. A DJ played music in a nearby parking lot for a dance that capped off the night.
Savannah Heath, a YSA who participated in the run, said she enjoyed being with other people who love the Savior and who are excited about the gospel.
She said the last part of the course — running uphill towards the temple — was the hardest, but also the most meaningful.
“I [was] thinking about how even when life feels like it’s really difficult and we’re going uphill, and it feels like we might not be able to keep going, if we have the Lord and the temple ... and our covenants in our sights, then we can do it,” Heath said.
Elder Robert T. Smith, a Utah Area Seventy, and his wife, Sister Kristine Smith, also attended the run. Elder Smith said he loved watching how excited the YSAs were to be together.
As the runners finished the course, “they’re going to see the temple all lit up. And it’s a metaphor for their lives, to try to follow the Savior.”
Sister Smith said she hopes YSAs recognize how important the gospel is. It’s exciting for them to see each other’s great faith, she added.
“It’s motivating,” Sister Smith said. “[It has them thinking], ‘I need to love this. I want to live this. I want to do better.’”
