Minutes before 10 a.m. on Saturday, more than 150 runners and walkers stretched their legs for the last time and stepped up to the starting line to do their part to help tsunami victims.

The 5K Run/Walk for Relief, which started on Pollock Road and ended near the Information Sciences and Technology Building, raised $2,216 for the tsunami relief effort through the American Red Cross.

Lisa Plesko (junior-nutrition) and Morgan Windram (graduate-geography) were co-directors of the run and helped organize the event. Plesko and Windram, who are both marathon runners, came up with the idea for the 5K while they both recovered from foot surgery. "We couldn't run because of our injuries. Since we both love running, and we wanted to help out the tsunami victims, it seemed like a great idea to have a charity run," Plesko said.

Plesko, who originally hoped to raise $1,500, said she was excited by the turnout and the amount of money raised. "We went over our goal [Saturday]," Plesko said. "The community and our sponsors really picked it up and contributed."

Mike Casper, a State College resident and a Nittany Valley Running Club member, said there is still a lot that can be done to help the tsunami victims.

"The visibility for tsunami relief has gone down. The need for help is going to be around for a while," Casper said.

Casper also said that the timing of the run helped make it successful. "People want to support tsunami relief, and most runners are itching for spring," Casper said.

Megan Kiczek (junior-kinesiology), who finished third and also volunteered at the event, said there was a good mix of participants. "There was a variety of people running. But the majority of them were students," Kiczek said.

The top three male finishers were David Moore, Erik Scott and Larz Selmer-Larson, and the top female finishers were Mimi Bacon, Leah Critchley, and Kiczek.

Brandi Nagle (graduate-geography) crossed the finish line last, but said where she placed in the race did not matter.

"The event was for a very good cause. I just hope the money finds its way to the people who need it," Nagle said.

Brett Vance, 16, a student at Bellefonte Area High School, said he did not enjoy running in the cold weather Saturday morning.

"I was kind of bummed when I went outside this morning. It felt like it was 15 degrees here," Vance said.

The event was sponsored by several organizations.

A mountain bike, donated by B & E Cycles, was the top prize in a raffle that took place after the race ended.