A total of 298 TCU students came together on Saturday, Sept. 12 to participate in the Run for Life 5K for suicide awareness.

The fifth annual Run for Life benefitted the Suicide Awareness Coalition of Tarrant County’s Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors Team.

The Heart of the Ranch, a venue in Fort Worth, was packed by 8 a.m. with TCU students and other supporters of the cause.

Some students came out to combine their support for suicide awareness with their love of running. Other students, like seniors Stephanie Shady and Courtney Cochran, who have had their lives affected by suicide of loved ones, also attended the run.

“I think it’s really awesome that there a lot of TCU students are here because it shows that a lot of people are supporting talking about the problem, which I think is the first step to fixing it,” Cochran said.

Shady and Cochran said that they were pleased with how many of their fellow students came to raise awareness.

“I think you don’t think about when you walk around campus how many people mental health actually touches,” Shady said, “and it’s nice to see that there are other people on campus to kind of be a community for that.”

Of the 298 students that participated in the run, 120 of them were members of TCU’s Delta Delta Delta chapter that rallied to support one of their sisters who lost her mother to suicide.

“It’s a lot of Delta love coming together and its really lifting her up, which is what she needs right now,” Stephanie McNamara, a member of the sorority, said.

At the end of the race, TCU was awarded for having the largest team participate.

It is an accomplishment that Cortney Gumbleton, TCU’s Suicide Prevention Outreach Coordinator, said she is extremely proud of.

“Mental health issues and suicide has affected our community, and I’m honored that 298 TCU members joined together to support those who are struggling and those who we have lost to suicide,” Gumbleton said.