The chilly weather yesterday morning did not deter students and community members from running to help cure cancer.

The first-ever THON 5K Run/Walk, a general fundraiser for Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, boasted a turnout that organizers estimate at more than 800 runners.

"It was a really big success," said Patty Hoffmann, public relations chair for THON 2002. "We got a lot larger turnout than we ever expected initially."

Participants came from the Four Diamonds Fund, fraternities and sororities, and even the State College Area High School cross country team.

Some ran in memory of friends or cancer victims. The memorial names were posted on a board at the end of the race.

Brandon Baumbach, who runs on the high school cross country team and invited his teammates to join the 5K, is being sponsored for THON for the third year.

Baumbach was diagnosed with leukemia in 1999 and relapsed in February 2000 after seven months of chemotherapy.

That summer Baumbach's sister became his donor so that he could have a stem cell transplant.

Baumbach, who calls himself "basically a success story," ran in yesterday's race, joining members of the sorority that is dancing for him in THON for the third year.

"I'm there to help them along, to show what the benefits of their good works are," said Baumbach, who encouraged other runners if he saw them losing speed.

Some runners led the pack, others paced themselves and arrived in the middle and still others walked in groups, cheering in unison.

The winners, who essentially tied at 15:48, were a current Penn State cross country team member and a member of last year's team.

James Carney (graduate-business logistics) was finishing first when Mike Gioia (freshman-kinesiology) caught up to him, making their finishes only a split-second apart.

Carney, who is no longer eligible for the Penn State cross country team, still practices with the team to keep in shape.

He heard about the 5K at a team practice.

"It's for a good cause, that's what I was thinking," Carney said about what crossed his mind as he ran in yesterday's cold morning weather.

The route looped around from Beaver Stadium to Pollock Road, across campus and up Burrowes Street, then down Curtin Road, ending at the Intramural Building.

Registration fees from the event will go to the overall THON total.

The exact amount of monies raised by the race will be known within a week.

The winner of each of the six age divisions will receive a 48-hour floor pass for THON in the spring, and the top three runners will also receive gift certificates.

Businesses supported the event by donating food for participants, gift certificates and services to clock the time of each runner.

Final times and other race information can be obtained in 218 HUB-Robeson Center.