Waking up early on a Saturday is hard enough for any college student, but waking up and running more than three miles can be extremely challenging. That didn’t stop over 2000 UTSA students, alumni and other casual and competitive runners from making the 2012 Diploma Dash the largest ever.

Around 2200 people preregistered, with an estimated 200 more registering the day of the race. The race is hosted each year by UTSA’s Alumni Association. Participation in Diploma Dash has been growing steadily since its inception 28 years ago, when only a couple of hundred people attended. The race has taken off in popularity in the past few years as the Alumni Association has made greater strides to appeal to students. An estimated 900 students participated this year, compared to about 600 last year.

The Alumni Association has also taken steps to appeal to San Antonio’s military community by charging them the same low $10 fee as students. Attracting students and the military has helped the Diploma Dash more than double its attendance in the past six years.

The proceeds from the race go to the Alumni Association to fund scholarships and other alumni programs. Through the Diploma Dash and other events, the Alumni Association is able to raise over $100,000 each year, and its endowment exceeds $1 million.

The Diploma Dash, which is held on UTSA’s campus, rolled out a new course for this year’s race. In previous years, the race has taken runners underneath campus through a series of tunnels usually reserved for maintenance vehicles. However, this year’s Diploma Dash took runners around campus, starting and ending at the Convocation Center, giving them a view of the entire campus, including the new construction on the northeast side of campus.

Participants enjoyed music by Elijah Zane and the Experience and several student organizations—including The Movement, UTSA Ambassadors and FTK—staffed information booths.