On Sunday morning, St. Edward’s University Campus Ministry hosted its fifth annual Miles for a Mission 5k, which benefits service break experiences including the Alternative Spring Break and International Immersion Experiences.

The 3.1-mile race was held on campus and included obstacle courses and zombies that added to the year’s common theme, “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: Dystopia and Sustainability.”

The run started in front of Hunt Hall and wove through all parts of campus until its finish at the Alumni Gym.

The run included obstacle courses like tire jumps, rope climbs and belly crawls, and zombies lined the course to scare, entertain and cheer on participants.

“I got to dance in front of people instead of being the traditional, scary zombie, and I got to make peoples’ experience enjoyable” freshman Carlos Barboza said. “Once we went out there, we went crazy with it.”

During the course, zombies popped out of hiding places and ran alongside participants before falling behind to scare others.

“[The zombies] added a great, fun dimension to the race,” Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Brother Larry Atkinson said.

The course had a different route than previous years and took a detour around the construction site of the new science building. From Hunt Hall, participants trekked down Woodward to Congress, then went on a winding route that led to desolate around the tennis courts and through the on-campus apartment parking lots. 

The trail was uneven, which aided in keeping participants on edge throughout the race.

“I have run it every year since the beginning, and this was the longest and most challenging route,” Atkinson said. “It was fun to see parts of campus I have never seen before.”

The race ended in front of the Alumni Gym, and runners were treated to a multitude of bread options, fruit, beverages, t-shirts and a warm area to wind down.

The Miles for a Mission race has grown since its inception from being merely a fundraiser to a community event, according to Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Liza Manjarrez. 

“We hope to have raised about $2,000,” Manjarrez said. “Instead of doing a bake sale, this is a healthier activity to do, and it gets the campus involved.”