Notre Dame NROTC students run for 24 hours for charity

Notre Dame’s NROTC unit held its annual 24 Hour Run on campus this weekend to raise money for the St. Joseph County Special Olympics.

“Go Navy! Woo! Support Special Olympics! Go ROTC!” shouted two women dressed as a shark and trident Friday afternoon, as they ran throughout Notre Dame’s campus.

“Basically, what we do is we run in 24 one-hour-long shifts,” Notre Dame NROTC Squad Leader Daniel Fisk said. “We have a shark suit and a trident running around campus spreading the word. And we have a booth where we collect money for the St. Joe County Special Olympics.”

Notre Dame’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp., or NROTC, has hosted the annual event for the last decade.

“Last year we raised $1,800,” Fisk said. “This year, we’re looking to exceed that; we’re already on pace.”

The shark and trident run their way throughout campus for 24 hours while other NROTC members use posters and some charm to get donations from passersby.

Why the shark and trident?

“Navy-themed,” Fisk said. “Trident for Poseidon, the god of the sea, and shark is just running from him, I guess.”

It’s a humorous approach to raise money for a good cause on a campus where tradition and charity play hand in hand, especially on game day weekends.

“It’s an event that we all look forward to every year,” Fisk said, of his 100 fellow NROTC students. “This is probably my favorite event the battalion puts on, which is why I really wanted to be in charge of it my junior year…it’s just a lot of fun.”