Tie-dye and lots of green and gold ran through the campus in a blur Thursday night as runners of all levels competed in the university’s first 5k race.

Sacramento State’s inaugural 5k fun run attracted hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Race organizers hope that this will become an annual tradition that may evolve into a charity event in the future. “The race is part of a larger effort to promote health and fitness on campus while highlighting the construction of the health and recreation center, The Well, new residence halls and the new bookstore,” said Jason Blessinger, race organizer. The administration is hoping that The Well will be a driving force in increasing participation on campus. Rec Sports currently serves 3,000 students a week. Rec Sports coordinator Ryan McCallum said that with the opening of The Well they expect to triple that number. The overwhelming response was not expected by McCallum. “The turnout was amazing,” McCallum said. “As a first-year event, we were planning for 100 people; we ended up with over 700 registered participants.” The group of runners was diverse ranging from the serious fitness enthusiast to the first-time runner. Freshman pre-nursing major Jennifer Burton was not aware of the race until friends told her about the event. Burton said the encouragement of her friends helped to get her there. “I run periodically and enjoy it,” Burton said. “I would definitely participate in more stuff like this because it does not require me to form a team, I just have to sign myself up and do it.” Race participation was free for Sac State students, faculty and staff, while Alumni were asked to pay a $20 fee. The race started and ended in Serna Plaza. It began with a speech from President Gonzalez and concluded with live music performances by Loquat, The Botticellis and Justin Farren. The race was a collaborative effort with Student Health Services, Fit Help, Rec Sports, The University Union, Unique, KSSU radio and the University Police.

Crystal Kirk can be reached at [email protected].