Rat Week & the Running of the Rodents

One of the Spalding’s proudest and most fun campus traditions, the annual Running of the Rodents, was created by Sister Julia Clare Fontaine after overhearing a student complain about the “rat race” of finals. Since its inception in 1973, the Running of the Rodents has been a fun-filled, annual Louisville tradition that serves as both a stress reducer and a unique method of teaching students about animal care as well as behavior modification techniques.

Over the years, the Running of the Rodents has received much attention, with segments airing on national news syndicates as well as BBC London, BBC Mexico and BBC Canada. Trivial Pursuit® coined the race as “The Most Exciting Two Seconds in Sports” after 1987’s rat, Deep Throat, won the Rodent Derby in 1.8 seconds.

You can read more about the history of this unique event in our blog post celebrating the 50th Running of the Rodents.