More than300 Sacramento State students, faculty and staff gathered Thursday in the Serna Plaza for the Second Annual Sac State 5K Fun Run.

The runners were separated into beginning and intermediate runners, with a separate group of walking participants. Prior to the race, the participants were able to visit numerous booths with representatives from campus organizations and local companies such as Wells Fargo, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Chick-fil-A.

“We want students to be well rounded, and physical fitness has proven to have positive effects on students academically, socially and emotionally,” said Ken Morton, associate director of The Well,the campusfitness center scheduled to open in the fall.

Morton said the Fun Run was intended to be beneficial to the campus community.

“The main purpose of the fun run is to promoteThe Welland highlight wellness on campus,” Morton said. “But more importantly, we want the runners to have a fun time on campus.”

Morton said numerous campus organizations such as Peak Adventures, Campus Recreation and the Student Health Center are continuing to promote campus engagement with a golf tournament, a wakeboarding rail jam, a de-stress eventin the Quad, and a Sacramento River Cats game.

Mike Wortman, kinesiology major, said being physically fit and having a good state of mind can benefit students in their academic life.

“This is a great way for students to come out here and see that physical fitness is very important to our community,” Wortman said. “Being in good physical shape can really help boost students mentally, and I think the school is doing a good job in promoting that.”

Freshman speech pathology major Audrey De Soto said the Fun Run could open the door for more physical activities in the campus community.

“It makes you feel good when you exercise and get your endorphins running, which makes people happy and healthy,” De Soto said. “If there were more activities like cycling or more runs, I think it would really benefit more students who weren’t able to experience this.”

Ricky Alejandro can be reached at [email protected].