Wichita State student Christine Porter and her mother Susie have the same 5K pace.

They are both training for a half-marathon.

And at this year’s 18th Annual Pumpkin Run at WSU, they wore matching costumes.

Dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2 — two characters from Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” — they fit right in with the other costumed runners who got an early jump on Halloween.

“Because the theme of this year’s Shocktoberfest is a Seuss theme, I thought that since we were running together with the same pace, I thought it would go together,” Christine said.

About 700 runners from WSU and the surrounding area came together Saturday on a clear, crisp morning, to run 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) around and through the WSU campus.

Campus Recreation organized the run, which was sponsored by various businesses in Wichita.

It had a variety of participants, from the more competitive runners who completed the course in less than 18 minutes, to the walkers who finished the event in just under an hour.

Vanessa Stoner organized the event, and is the coordinator of aquatics and risk management at the Heskett Center. She said participation in the Pumpkin Run has grown steadily over the years.

“About four years ago, we got a certified course and a timed course,” Stoner said. “So once that happened, our numbers really increased, because it means that people can actually use this course as a race with a legitimate time.”

Stoner said the event promotes being fit and funds the other programs that Campus Recreation provides.

“First of all, we are with Campus Recreation and we are all about health and fitness,” she said. “[The event is] to get people coming together as a community, running around our beautiful campus and doing something fun while being healthy.”

Jonathan Karstensen is a junior at Derby High School. He came to the Pumpkin Run in order to “have fun, compete and beat my personal record.”

Before the race his personal best was around 24 minutes, and as he crossed the finish line, the timer read 23:50.

“It sucked, but I did great,” Karstensen said. “The cold was the hardest part and keeping your breathing right. It was hard when we were starting on the sidewalk, because every turn I would think, ‘Oh this is the last turn before the finish line,’ and every single time it wasn’t.”

Whether running or walking, ultimately, the day was about finishing the race.

Mark McClain is the general manager at KMUW and placed second in the 55-59 age division. It was his first Pumpkin Run, and he said it was a good feeling to finish.

“It’s fun to finish. It’s fundamental,” McClain said. “It was a fun course to run. It was a nice loop around the campus.”