The event raised more than $4,200 in registration fees and donations for the Area 8 Special Olympics, Friendship Clinic of Lansing and the Super All Year Clinic of Detroit, said Jessica Campbell, a graduate student and SOMA’s race director.

“It’s a really fun event for runners and nonrunners,” Campbell said. “It’s a great way to support these charities in our community.”

The event brought together not only the MSU community, but also Greater Lansing.

Participants dressed as if it were Halloween with various costumes, such as devils, Peter Pan, a man dressed as Wonder Woman and two runners dressed as Minnie Mouse.

Grand Ledge, Mich., resident Lisa Evani said her colleagues wanted to do more out-of-work activities and a member of the group motivated them to do the race since some of the friends also are joggers, and because of the costume aspect, they invited their families as well.

Graduate student Jackie Michels said coming out and donating $20 — the registration fee for the event — for charities is the least anyone could do.

“It’s nice for (people) to take 30 minutes out of (their) day to meet up and have a good time for a good cause,” Michels said. “It’s worth it.”

The winner of the race was Lansing Community College student Jacob Mahoski with a time of 18:14. SOMA also passed out a best costume award to Clarkston, Mich., resident Matt Edens, who won a Douglas J. gift card for dressing as Forrest Gump when he ran across America.

For some students, such as graduate students Courtney Soughers and Emily Raymond, the race was a great way to get active, which they haven’t had a lot of time to do.

Both friends are law students ,and Raymond said it can be very stressful, so they use running as a stress reliever.

“We were trying to start running,” Soughers said. “The timing and since it was an MSU (event is why we participated).”