The Steps for Safety 5K Walk/Run was held Sunday at the corner of N. Atherton Street and White Course Drive-- a location that holds a special importance to the event.
The run was started nine years ago after a female Penn State student was sexually assaulted while running along the nearby golf course during the day.
Her attacker was never caught, but women in the community heard about the incident and decided to take matters into their own hands, said Anne Ard, executive director of the Centre County Women's Resource Center.
Organizers estimate that the 270 registered runners raised between $15,000 and $20,000 to benefit the resource center, Ard said.
Kate Mount established the 5K along with 10 other community members who have come to call themselves the S-5s.
"I initially went to the women's shelter to ask how I could donate money, but Anne told me she wanted to take the incident further," Mount said. "As a frequent runner of that exact golf course, we felt a 5K would be an appropriate way to raise money."
S-5s member Pam Meister said the team runs every year and gets its name from the blueberry pancake order number at The Waffle Shop, 1229 N. Atherton St..
"The event was a great turnout compared to years before," Ard said. "We raised a lot of money, but most importantly, we raised awareness."
Ard also noted Penn State professor Alyssa Garcia, who raised $1,070.07 with her WMNST 001 (Introduction to Women's Studies) class.
"We were given the option of running in the race or raising money on our own," class member Emily Phillips (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said. "I learned a lot from this class about the run, as well as domestic violence as a whole."
Members of Penn State's men's lacrosse team also attended, walking the 5K together.
"Our coach told us about it, and we thought it would be a good thing for us to all come out and do," team member Matthew Bernier (junior-psychology) said.
The ages of the runners ranged from 8 to older than 50. The first-place male runner was Alan Effrig and first-place female runner was Anne Skulis-Ray.
"I have been trying to do as many 5Ks as I can, and this one came with a cause, which was great," Amanda Leggett (graduate-human development and family studies) said.
