The bye football week sure didn’t mean Happy Valley was any less energetic. THON hosted its 16th annual 5k on Saturday. With about 4,000 runners, plenty of Four Diamonds Families, and countless THON captains and committee members, the streets by Beaver Stadium were bustling.

The kids race started off the run at 10:30 a.m. and the Fun Run and Competitive Run started at 11:30 a.m. Various committees encouraged runners via high-fives throughout the whole 5k, and although most people (and even some puppies) walked, everyone enjoyed the event.

Even Vamos stopped by to cheer on the participants:

Once the runners were finished, the Hospitality Committee supplied subs, drinks, bananas, pizza, and breadsticks. All of the food, toys for the families to play with, and entertainment was donated. Participants were encouraged to tag all of their pictures with the phrase #runwithusFTK.

THON 5k captain Zach Firestine discussed how much work goes into planning this event. He and other Special Events captains begin their work in April. Every year they try and make new activities for both families at runners. This year new Four Diamonds families told their stories and a new band, Black Tie Stereo, kept the crowd entertained after the run.

He also stressed how important it was for participants and Four Diamonds families to enjoy this event mutually.  “All the money earned from registration goes straight to THON. This is the first THON event for a lot of new families, and it shows them the importance of what we do,” Firestine said.

In pure Penn State fashion, THON beat the bye week blues and hosted another successful 5k for the kids.