Runners crossed the starting line for the first-ever BuckeyeThon 5k to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital on Sept. 7. Credit: Julia Hart | Arts & Life Senior Reporter
The first-ever BuckeyeThon 5K brought 500 runners to campus on Sept. 7, selling out its debut event and raising over $20,000 for Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The race began at the RPAC’s Larkins Plaza, winding past Ohio Stadium, and following a path through campus with sites like Mirror Lake, the Oval and Buckeye Grove, finishing at the RPAC. Following the run, participants joined a celebration featuring live music, snow cones, yoga sessions, face painting and sponsor booths, including Nike.
Neil Hariths, a third-year in neuroscience and political science, as well as BuckeyeThon’s vice president of programming, said the 5K was designed to build energy on campus around the student philanthropy organization.
“We are Ohio State’s official student philanthropy and we wanted to make an event as meaningful and leave a positive impact on the students on campus,” Hariths said. “We really took the time and effort into figuring out what our goals were, and our goals were to raise visibility, to raise money and raise awareness about BuckeyeThon.”
Aayush Vishwanath, director of events and a third-year in neuroscience, said participants were inspired by Charley Bauer, an Ohio State student who passed from acute myeloid leukemia in 2025.
“It touches a lot of students at Ohio State, specifically because she was a student here,” Vishwanath said. “I feel like a different type of connection to a lot of us. I think that’s a very interesting story.”
Hariths also said that part of the motivation behind BuckeyeThon’s mission is the enthusiasm of the children they sponsor, also known as “champion kids.” She said that the champion kids give all BuckeyeThon participants the passion to raise as much money as they could from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The 5K is the start of BuckeyeThon’s fundraising season. Upcoming events include Runway Rally on Nov. 6 and Day of Miracles on Nov. 19.
“Runway Rally is where, after we get all of our team members for the year, you get to meet our champion kids,” said Aayush Vishwanath, director of events and a third-year in neuroscience. “You get more involved into our cause and understand why we fundraise for pediatric cancer. Day of Miracles is our biggest fundraising push of the year. We have matching hours and a lot of incentives for people that attend and are fundraising for us.”
Vishwanath said meeting the children who benefit from BuckeyeThon is what keeps students motivated.
“I think meeting the champion kids at events is a big motivation,” Vishwanath said. “Just seeing how resilient they are, hearing their stories and where they were once at, how their treatment has got them to where they are now. And they’re like the regular happy kid. So, it’s very cool to hear and they’re just super inspiring. I love it.”
For many students, the cause is deeply personal.
“You’re supporting a good cause by supporting research to potentially cure something that’s destroyed so many families and so many lives,” said Leila Jacox, a third-year in agricultural business. “I have a lot of family and friends that have struggled with it.”
To learn more about future BuckeyeThon events or how to get involved, visit their website here.
