Music was blaring and vendors lined Hayden Lawn as students rode bikes to raise money without moving forward one inch.
Members of Pi Kappa Phi, an ASU fraternity, started riding stationary bikes on Hayden Lawn as part of the inaugural 48-Hour Bike-a-Thon to raise money for Push America.
Push America, founded in 1977 by Pi Kappa Phi, is an organization that helps the disabled continue to improve their quality of life.
The students started riding at 9 a.m. Tuesday and will continue to ride them until 9 a.m. Thursday, said mass communications sophomore Greg Lindsay, president of Pi Kappa Phi.
"We were really nervous because this is the biggest event we have ever done," Lindsay said. "But the support has been amazing; the students and faculty have been great."
The fraternity originally hoped to raise $1,000, but met the goal before the event started, Lindsay said.
They now hope to raise $3,000, he added.
It wasn't long after Pi Kappa Phi started riding their bikes that the surrounding vendors on hand for the campus housing fair decided to help.
James Dancil, director of education and marketing services for Greystar, another vendor, wanted to help the fraternity raise money.
"One of the students riding the bikes lives in our community so we wanted to help," Dancil said.
Dancil talked to the other vendors and encouraged them to get students to donate money.
The first non-brother of Pi Kappa Phi to mount a bike was business sophomore Mandy Pearson, a member of Chi Omega.
"I'm friends with Greg Lindsay and I said I would come out [to ride] when class was over," Pearson said.
She was on a bike for about one hour and planned to get on again, she said.
Members from Kappa Delta sorority also came out to help Pi Kappa Phi.
Journalism and mass communication junior Katie Gardiner sat with four other members of Kappa Delta waiting to ride one of the bikes.
"We don't have a set time [to ride the bikes]. We are just switching off," Gardiner said.
Reach the reporter at: heather.cutler@asu.edu.
