The Marshall University Rec Center held its annual “Pump and Run” weight lifting and 5K events at 8 a.m. this Saturday at the Rec center.

Participants weighed in and individually lifted a percentage of their body weight as many times as possible, then ran a 5K. Each separate repetition in the weight lifting portion of the competition deducted 30 seconds from the participants’ 5K time.

Participants were allowed 30 repetitions maximum and still had to run the entire race no matter the amount lifted. Weigh-in and weight lifting took place on the second floor of the Rec and the 5K was held on a course around Marshall’s Campus.

There was a $20 entrance fee for any day before the race and a $25 entrance fee the day of the race.

“It’s really a cool event. It doesn’t just cater to runners it also caters to lifters,” said Amanda Reesman, the Rec Center’s graduate assistant of marketing and special Events.

Participants competed in various age divisions and the winner of each respective division received a prize. The participant with the quickest overall time at the end of the event won the grand prize.

“The winner, traditionally, has come in at about two minutes because they ran a 17 minute 5K and they lifted their body weight thirty times,” said Michele Muth, the Rec’s Assistant Director of Marketing and Memberships. “It takes a special type of person to be able to lift their body weight thirty times and then run a 17-minute 5K.”

Started by Muth, the Pump and Run is modeled off of the “Arnold Classic” in Columbus, Ohio. This is the fifth year that it has taken place at Marshall.

“I heard about a lot of people going to Columbus to do the race, we thought it was cool and we wanted to make it a way for people to practice if they were going up to the real race,” Muth said. “We were looking for an event that was physically challenging, more so than just your normal 5K.”

Rick Farlow can be contacted at [email protected].