It’s about 4 p.m. Saturday and the fifth annual Pack-a-thon is well underway.

Students stand wearily on the hardwood floor of the first level of Carmichael Gym. Where there are normally volleyball courts set up, there are instead arts and craft tables scattered about, students leaning against them for support.

A stage is set up along the wall by the main entrance, and a projector shows the N.C. State vs. UNC-Chapel Hill basketball game on the wall. Students cluster about to watch the game, shuffling their feet to stay active.

To the side of the group John Vance, a senior in religious studies and finance chair for Pack-a-thon, rests on his heels, hands supporting him from behind in a crab-like style, giving his legs a break.

According to Vance, who has been involved with the event for four years now, it gets easier every year.

“This year hasn’t been nearly as bad. The key is staying busy,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of things to keep us busy and not thinking about our feet.”

Meredith Cannon, a senior in animal science and fellow fourth year veteran of Pack-a-thon, was a member of the Overall Council this year. OC was the group in charge of the event. Cannon said arts and crafts weren’t the only ways the OC had to keep “dancers,” as participants were called, busy. According to Cannon, there was also a coordinated dance taught by the OC’s on the hour, every hour.

“We take the clocks away from the gym,” she said. “So it’s a neat way to keep time.”

According to Cannon, the clocks are removed from the gym so dancers don’t spend the entirety of the event counting the minutes until they can sit down. She said it makes the standing more bearable if participants aren’t exactly sure how much time remains.

Leslie Pagano, a sophomore in English, was a first-time participant in Pack-a-thon. During the event, she said it seemed like she had been in the gym forever.

“I feel like I’ve forgotten how life is outside of this,” Pagano said. “I’m looking forward to sitting down, I’m going to be honest.”

Despite the drawbacks, she said it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

“It’s so amazing. It’s been really, really tough…but the cause makes it worth it,” Pagano said.

According to Cannon the event went fairly well this year, and she said she was pleased with the turnout. However, she said there were fewer dancers because of the State vs. UNC-CH game. Vance agreed that the number of participants were down this year.

“It’s one thing to ask people to give up 24 hours for a great cause,” Vance said. It’s kind of hard to ask people to give up the biggest game of the year.”

However, Pagano said the game wasn’t even a factor in her decision to participate in Pack-a-thon.

“I didn’t even know the game was happening,” Pagano said. “I watch all the games; I just don’t make cut-out time to go.”

Cannon said she didn’t think Pack-a-thon had lost dancers during the event this year, unlike years past. However, of the 42 or so dancers, junior in biological sciences Marion Haege said a few had “skedaddled.”

“The true ones stuck around,” she said.

According to Pagano, Pack-a-thon was well worth the extra effort.

“Tomorrow, tonight… I’ll have such a better appreciation for sitting down, for free time, for my home,” Pagano said. “No one could take that away from me — the experience I’ve had.”