When students think of Dance Marathon, rarely does the thought of 39 couples dancing in a 30-hour competition looking to raise money for the mentally handicapped come to mind.

But those are the memories of the students who participated in the first Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon 30 years ago.

Thon, first created to rebuild the Interfraternity Council's image and help greek members get through the winter, has evolved into the largest student-run philanthropy event in the world.

The first marathon was more successful than anticipated -- it raised $2,000, which is 100 times more than the amount expected.

Little did the original participants know that marathon would continue to flourish and grow over the years. In the second year of Thon, it was expanded to 48 hours, and $10,000 was raised. The money was donated to the American Heart Association.

Thon has not always been "for the kids" -- it was not until 1977 that proceeds from the event went to the Four Diamonds Fund. Originally the money was given to various organizations, including the AHA and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

In 1979, to accommodate the growing number of dancers and spectators, Thon was moved to the White Building, where it stayed for the next 20 years.

In 1999, Thon outgrew its venue again and moved to Rec Hall.

"We moved Thon (to Rec Hall) because there were so many people that either wanted to dance or come see it, and there was no way that we could accommodate all of those people," said Andrea Gaspardino, Thon adviser from 1997 to 2001 and member of the Four Diamonds Board.

She said that amid all the physical changes of the event, the student spirit and enthusiasm for Thon has increased. The move to Rec Hall enabled the number of dancers to significantly increase, and as a result, there have been many more volunteers and corporations that have been willing to donate food and T-shirts for the dancers.

"Last year was the first year we got really used to using Rec Hall," said Walt Breuninger, Thon's overall chair last year. A lot of refining was done to make everything run more smoothly, he added.

Thon continues to evolve, marathon adviser Scott Phelan said, adding that many events have been added to make Thon a more year-long event. Events include family reunion carnivals and a 5k run and Project Sibs, which were both added this year. Eight hundred fifty runners registered for the run, making it the largest turnout in the Centre County area.

Breuninger explained another change. He said that last year was the first time Thon weekend was not designated a canning weekend. In the past, members of the canning trips were not able to be present at Thon, but Breuninger thought everyone involved should be part of the excitement of Thon weekend. Thus, the policy was changed.

Breuninger, who graduated in 2001, reflected on the emotions he felt while being involved in Thon.

"The first time you go to Thon, there is really something that just blows you away. When the family speaks, it really grabs your heart," he said.