Some 30 to 40 ISU students have laced up their athletic shoes for the annual Veishea Voyage torch run.

The 300-mile trek will pass through five towns before it ends with the lighting of the torch at the Veishea opening ceremonies at noon on Central Campus Friday.

“We want to get other communities throughout the state involved in Veishea,” said Chel Clausen, Veishea Voyage committee co-chairwoman. “Instead of them coming to us, we will go to them.”

The race began in Nevada, and over the course of five days the torch will pass through New Sharon, Desoto, Ottumwa, Thayer and Boone before heading back to Ames.

As the runners travel through these towns, citizens are encouraged to come out and watch.

“This way everyone can see the unity that Veishea brings to the Iowa State community,” said Clausen, junior in exercise sports science.

Getting Iowa residents interested in the Veishea celebration is a goal of the torch run, whose route will resemble an outline of the state of Iowa.

“We want to take the word of Veishea to towns around Iowa and spread the news of Iowa State and what we do,” said Andrew Slotterback, Veishea tournaments co-chair and senior in civil engineering.

Another goal of the run is to get ISU students involved with Veishea, said Jaime Tierney, Veishea tournaments co-chair.

“This brings different people together to run and is a positive push for Veishea,” said Tierney, senior in industrial engineering.

One person runs at a time with a van of runners following behind to replace the torchbearer when he gets tired. The group is covering 30 to 50 miles per day.

Participants in the event sign up for one day of an eight-hour run block, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or noon to 8 p.m. Every evening participants will be transported back to Iowa State. In past years the run also took place overnight, but was changed to an entirely daytime event this year for liability reasons, Clausen said.

“This isn’t a go-out-and-kill-yourself running event,” she said. “It’s about going out and having a good time.”