A UW-Stout student has been named a winner in the annual Carson 5 and 10 in Eau Claire even before the foot race begins.
Sara Nyhus, from Roberts, won the T-shirt design competition for the 54th annual event, to be held Saturday, Oct. 29, in and around Carson Park. She earned $100 for her work.
Even better, she plans to run in the 10-mile event with family and friends, so she’ll get a chance to see her shirt — featuring a charging Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox — being worn and enjoyed.
“I sketched up a few ideations and picked the best design,” said Nyhus.
Experience helps. She is a senior majoring in entertainment design with a concentration in animation; the program has since been renamed animation and digital media. She also has worked in UW-Stout’s Involvement Center part time since April as an animation and motion graphic designer.
UW-Stout has long been recognized for its premier School of Art and Design, which has more than 1,200 students, the most in school history. It’s the largest art and design program of any college or university in the Upper Midwest.
Nyhus took a Digital Imaging course from Lecturer Cyndi Greening during her first year at UW-Stout. Nyhus learned how to create vector art using Adobe Illustrator “and I fell in love with it. I think the vector art is what makes my design work,” she said.
Nyhus’ design focused on the Paul Bunyan theme, which was one of several entry prompts. The race begins and ends in the park near the Wisconsin Logging Museum, which has statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe.
The T-shirt includes pine trees, which are common in the park, and a mention of the city’s 150th anniversary that also will be celebrated during the race.
Race Director Wade Zwiener said the entries were judged by a panel of six people from the event’s partner organizations, including the logging museum, Chippewa Valley Museum and Indianhead Track Club.
“We loved the design first of all because it's clean, bold and eye-catching. It also does a great job of presenting the event name and elements of Carson Park that we were looking to celebrate — landmarks, history and natural beauty,” Zwiener said.
“We feel very fortunate to have such a fitting, impactful logo to promote this year's theme of celebrating the 54th running of this year's event and the City of Eau Claire's 150th anniversary,” he added.
Running in the Carson 10 is part of a busy fall and winter for Nyhus. Along with working on campus, she is working on an independent stop-motion film project written and directed by a friend, is working on her senior capstone animation project and will be studying in Japan during winter break.
“I am enjoying my final year at Stout by being involved as much as possible and taking advantage of every opportunity I can,” she said.
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