For anyone who may not know, THON Weekend 2025 was held from February 21-23 in the Bryce Jordan Center. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world — it’s a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that raises millions for the Four Diamonds foundation.
700+ dancers stood on Friday night and when dancer sit-down came on Sunday afternoon, Penn State students had raised a record-breaking $17.7 million to fight pediatric cancer.
I had the immense honor of being chosen to dance in THON 2025 for my organization, The Singing Lions. We are so lucky to be paired with three incredible families, who all made it to the BJC for the weekend, and to have an amazingly supportive group that really poured their all into THON efforts this year. We are both Penn State’s only show choir (meaning we sing and we dance) and a THON organization, so to have people who are equally passionate about THON and performing is truly something special.
Dancing in THON was the hardest but most rewarding experience of my entire life. I experienced the highs, the lows and everything in between over the course of those 46 hours. But when we saw our THON families, heard stories, watched the Celebration of Life video and saw the number $17,737,040.93 at the end of it all, none of the foot pain, anxiety or sleep deprivation mattered. All that mattered is making an impact in the lives of these children and their families when the unthinkable happens to them.
Before deciding to run as a dancer and especially before the weekend once I was selected, I wanted to talk to everyone I had ever known that danced in THON to hear about their experiences. I wanted to make sure I’d be a good representative of our organization, especially since I’m someone who struggles with orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure after standing from sitting/laying down) and can get dizzy on my feet after long periods of time. I had heard so many horror stories about hallucinations from sleep deprivation or people having to leave early that I had myself completely psyched out about it.
I will be up front: this can and does happen. However, this is not a common experience and it should not be the reason that you choose not to dance. It should be the reason that you prep and take all the recommended precautions going into the weekend should you decide to dance or spend a lot of time in the stands.
Most dancers choose not to know the time throughout THON Weekend, but I made the decision to know. I knew I’d be more anxious about being “out of control” and not knowing than about how much time was left and I think it was the right decision for me. This is such a personal choice for each person who dances. What’s important is just to be respectful of other dancers around you by being discreet about it.
Me knowing the time means that I was able to jot down how I was feeling at times throughout the weekend to document my journey. I thought I’d share my story here for anyone who might be interested in hearing about my dancing experience for a small organization. Whether you’re considering dancing, passionate about THON, thinking about getting involved, or just curious about what 46 hours awake does to someone, I hope you enjoy hearing my experience as a THON 2025 dancer.
Pre-thon weekend
I just thought I’d preface by saying that dancing in THON absolutely takes some prep work. There is no way to fully prepare your body for 46 hours of standing and even more hours awake, but there are things you can do to make the impossible more possible.
I knew I was dancing in October, so I immediately went to Rapid Transit to get myself a really good pair of sneakers. They watched me walk around, then helped me try on shoes until I had the perfect fit for my arch shape and to get me through the weekend. I also got myself on a more regulated exercise routine.
Before October, I was more of a “run when I’m feeling one” or “yoga/pilates when I have some free time” girl. But once I knew I was dancing I made a conscious effort to work out and make sure my legs and lower back were as strong as possible. I really believe this was the reason I didn’t struggle with knee, hip, or lower back pain THON Weekend and why my blood pressure was under control.
At the beginning of winter break came the hardest part for me: cutting out caffeine. I had a nasty caffeine addiction, so it took me a few weeks to feel normal without my daily chai. Even if you don’t think it’s that big of a deal, caffeine withdrawal is no joke. I had headaches for two weeks.
If you’re going to dance, please cut caffeine out early so you aren’t dealing with withdrawal THON Weekend.
I also cut out alcohol in early January. This wasn’t difficult for me, but definitely could be for some. I still enjoyed going out with friends and being social, I just drove and drank soda or mocktails for two months. I promise, you can still have lots of fun with friends with a Shirley Temple in hand instead of alcohol.
Closer to the weekend, I ordered headbands, compression socks, regular cushioned socks, a pair of recovery slides and other random hygiene items like dry shampoo and makeup wipes. The week of THON, my organization surprised me with flowers and a basket for the weekend including word puzzles, a coloring book, journal, stuffed animal and lots of snacks. Everything was so helpful.
The week before THON, I made sure to eat as healthy as possible and to cover all of my basic food groups, avoiding processed food and sugar as much as I could. The only exception to this was Thursday night, when I went to get Sweet Frog with my dancing partner to talk through the weekend ahead.
friday morning and afternoon
I purposely stayed up a little late on Thursday night so I could sleep in on Friday. I got up at 10:30 am, laid in bed for a while, then got up to shower, blow-dry and straighten my hair, get dressed, make lunch, do some yoga and finish packing.
For lunch, I knew I wanted something heavy on protein and carbs for fuel so I made lemon pepper salmon and pesto pasta. It was delicious and definitely gave me the energy I needed.
I made four separate bags to go inside my duffel: one was snacks and hydration sticks, another was hygiene and skincare items, one was games and activities and the last one was my knee braces and a heated lower back brace just in case. For clothes, I packed three pairs of leggings, two bike shorts, a pair of gym shorts, a tank top, two t-shirts, a long-sleeved tee and two sweatshirts. This may seem like a lot for one weekend, but I actually ended up wearing everything.
If you do Slides of Strength you get covered in baby powder and need to change. Plus the temperature changes in the BJC throughout the weekend from hot to frigid (especially as your body gets exhausted and produces a little less heat).
If nothing else, switching outfits is refreshing and a great way to reset after a difficult moment.
Right before I had to leave, I made sure to do lots of ground stretches, especially hip and knee stretches, that I wouldn’t be able to do after dancer stand-up. This helped mentally and physically prepare me for what was next.
At 3 pm, my boyfriend dropped me off at Holuba Hall to get my wristbands, backpack and dancer shirt. I was a ball of excitement and nerves. The line was long and my duffel bag felt way too heavy, but once I found my seat and some friends I felt so much better.
From 3:30-4:30, many dancers (including my partner and I) laid down on the ground with their feet up on their chairs as long as possible before it was time to head to the BJC. With our new shirts proudly displaying “A Home for Hope,” we lined up for the human tunnel into the BJC.
Walking through the human tunnel and into the floor of the BJC was so surreal. We got to see so many smiling faces clapping and cheering us on as we walked into the hardest weekend of many of our lives. Once we were inside, the first look at the BJC and the Four Diamonds symbol overhead was truly surreal.
We made our way to Dancer Storage, dropped off our bags and made our way out to the floor to stretch, look for our friends in the stands and sit as long as we possibly could.
hour 1
The feeling when the countdown for dancer stand-up began is hard to put into words. The entire BJC was alive with excitement and anticipation.
When we stood, I could feel the rush of pure joy (and a little bit of nervousness) flood my system. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Everyone was hugging, I think I jumped up and down at least ten times and we were all so excited to begin this journey together.
hours 2-5
We were so lucky to have a scheduled pass from 9-10 during the National Act and two Digital Line passes come down before 10 pm, so we got to see three friends in the first few hours.
Kelsey and I had so much fun watching The Fray from the front of the floor with two of our best friends. It took us way too long to figure out who was performing but we loved it. After singing our hearts out (and racing to the bathroom to beat the crowd at the end of the concert because we were both on our fourth bottles of water/Gatorade), we had another friend come down to color with us at one of the tables on the floor.
I colored my friends a silly little Pegasus and wrote a note to send up to the stands. We also began our stretch routine that we would keep up over the rest of the weekend. It was about 5 minutes long and I swear it saved our lives because I never experienced any knee, hip or lower back pain even at hour 46.
I cannot emphasize stretching enough. If you are dancing or in the stands, there is NO SUCH THING as too much stretching. Stretch everything. If nothing else it’s a good way to pass the time and relax your body.
We also had our first meal in the first few hours. I ate pesto pasta, chicken breast and a roll. The unseasoned chicken breast with no knife was interesting to eat (my friends in the stands got to watch me stab the whole thing with my plastic fork and eat it like a caveman), but it was great fuel.
hours 6-10
We were both still feeling great. We had our scheduled passes coming to the floor and even though Digital Line was moving really slowly, we got to see our friends in the stands.
Our new members were all scheduled the first night, so we gave the grand tour of the BJC a few times in a row. It was so fun getting to see the look of excitement on our freshmen’s faces at they made it to the floor for the first time (and when they realized there’s a whole area for dancers beyond the floor).
Kelsey and I really prioritized drinking lots of water and eating whenever food was provided. Even when the Subway came out and I really wasn’t feeling it, I made sure to go eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich from the stand in the back. We knew that if we were being served food, we needed the fuel.
Something I read before THON that I really tried to remember is even when your appetite drops, you need more food to get through THON than you usually eat in your regular life. It takes a lot of energy to stay awake and on your feet for so long, so even if you don’t want the food, you need to make sure you get something down.
Luckily, THON is great about providing dancers lots of alternatives, like the delicious strawberries, grapes, carrots and hummus, yogurt and the fruit and oat smoothies at the snack stand.
hours 10-12
My big low came around hour 12, which really threw me for a loop. I thought for sure that I’d be feeling great until at least halfway through, but anxiety hit me hard here.
We had just made it through the first night. I checked my phone and saw it was 6 a.m. My friend Justin made it down to the floor and I was thrilled to see him. We went to silent disco, dancing and jumping around, and then all of a sudden, a wave of anxiety hit me.
I think it was something about the fluorescent lights in dancer storage and the lack of windows, but I started feeling really claustrophobic out of nowhere. I told Justin and Kelsey I needed to go outside, so we went.
Those few minutes of fresh air were so healing, but going back into the BJC had me in tears. I turned to my friends and said, “We still have 34 hours left and I’m trapped in the BJC. I’m not allowed to leave and the only way to leave is to quit, which I don’t want to do but I feel like I’m stuck.”
This wasn’t sleep deprivation or me losing it, it was just the very normal moment that happens to many dancers when reality sets in about how long you are going to be there.
Luckily, I had the best support system I could possibly ask for in this tough moment. My friend Savannah came down and talked me through “5 things you can hear, 4 things you can see, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste,” which ended in me drinking my water and feeling much better.
hours 13-15
I felt great for a while until unfortunately, the bathroom line had anxiety rising again.
I had to use the bathroom so bad, but the unfortunate thing about the floor of the BJC is that there are a total of seven stalls — three on one side and four on the other side. The lines are insane. Something about waiting in a long line in a narrow hallway when I felt like I was going to pee my pants had me claustrophobic again. But once again, my support system came through.
My boyfriend came down and I hugged him and cried for probably 10 minutes straight. We went on a walk, went back outside for a bit and he really helped me calm down about being in the BJC for so long. Dancer packages were called and I bawled my eyes out getting to open a package from my mom. Then another one of my best friends Cam came down and gave me the advice that got me through the rest of the weekend.
I cried and told her that “we have so many hours left” and “I’m scared for how I’ll feel at the end — what if I hallucinate? What if I can’t do it? What if my blood pressure drops too low and I have to leave?” I finally voiced my biggest fear: “What if I’m not actually strong enough to do this?”
She hugged me and told me “You just need to take it one step at a time. You’re thinking so much about the end and you’re going to miss all of the now.” We went back to dancer storage and she had me put on my headphones for the first time of the weekend, hit noise canceling, listen to relaxing music, and do a crossword. At first, I stared at the giant crossword and thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. But then she reminded me “one step at a time” and I started with the first number.
That crossword ended up being a metaphor for the whole weekend. What seemed so big and scary when I thought about the end was fun and easy when I just took it one step at a time. Standing around a table with other dancers listening to music, doing a crossword and leaning on my friends really snapped me back into the joy of the weekend.
I was letting myself worry so much about the scary “what if’s” that I wasn’t letting myself enjoy the guaranteed great moments.
When all our friends had to leave the floor, our DRCMs began showing us “inspiration” videos from 15+ friends and family members that sent in supportive messages and videos. I bawled my eyes out watching them, but it was exactly the “why” I needed. I felt so loved, so supported and remembered that I was doing this for our girls.
My friend Emily, who danced last year, came down to the floor and I told her I felt bad for having a low so early in the weekend. She reminded me that the lows are as much a part of dancing as the highs and that even though they feel like they’ll last forever when you’re in them, they will always pass.
For anyone who is considering dancing next year, just remember that the lows are normal and that the most important thing you can do is take things one step at a time. Kelsey and I followed that advice the rest of the weekend and I genuinely believe it’s why we had such a great experience.
hours 16-18
After my low, I bounced back up to a high for quite some time.
A few months before THON, Kelsey and I submitted a video for Dancer Pageant and were selected for it, so at noon we got to go on stage for that and see our friends cheering us on in the stands. It was such a nice reset to change, do our makeup and get ready for something, plus being on stage definitely woke us both up. Right after, it was meal time and we got to enjoy some delicious Roots bowls.
Our organization left the BJC for the afternoon to go bowling with our THON families, so we had a few hours without any visitors. We did Slides of Strength, stretched, spent some time on the floor then Kelsey and I decided to use the time to check out the sensory room, which was brand new this year and so fun. We had a great time there, then came back to dancer storage to change.
During this chunk of time, we decided to make a list of everything we were excited about for the rest of the weekend, from events like Dancer Support Passes, dancer mail, friends’ scheduled passes, Slides of Strength and our Final Four performance to smaller things like face masks, games, changing our socks, busting out the peppermint oil for under our eyes and using the massage gun.
hours 19-24
In the hours leading up to pep rally, we had book club, which basically meant we stationed ourselves at a table, stretched and read for a while. We took a few walks, went outside for a bit, stretched, and got some food, but otherwise we had a very relaxing time waiting for pep rally and our THON families to come to the floor.
We ended up getting the best surprise ever during Kids’ Talent Show — one of our friends and former dancers flew in from Wisconsin and shocked us by coming down to the floor. We had no idea he was coming and seeing him practically sent me to my knees. I cried (in a good way this time) and we had an amazing job dancing around with him and spending some time hanging off his back instead of standing.
At pep rally time, our THON families came to the floor and we had an absolute blast dancing with them and watching the pep rally performances.
Hour 24 was a big milestone for us because going into the weekend, Kelsey and I had decided that after the halfway point we would allow ourselves to use pain relieving/helpful items like knee braces, Ibuprofen/Tylenol, the heated lower back brace we brought and eventually the ice baths and physical therapy. We didn’t need much at this exact moment, but it was a relief knowing it was now an option and that we were on the “downhill slope.”
All the panic I had at the beginning of the weekend about not making it or how much time was left faded here. Now that we were over halfway through and I was still in a great physical place, I knew I was worried for nothing and there was no way I wasn’t making it to dancer sit down.
hours 25-30
I was absolutely on a high here. My feet were starting to hurt horribly, but emotionally and mentally I was in an amazing place. We continued to stretch, eat and chat, which helped to keep us awake. I was so excited that one of our best friends and my boyfriend were both coming down around midnight and after that our Dancer Support Passes would start so we’d get to see some of our loved ones.
A little before midnight, we got a FaceTime call from one of our alumni and former dancers, which was amazing and exactly what we needed. This was a point where my appetite was really starting to dip and I was fighting to get even two bites of my burrito bowl down, which is very common as sleep deprivation kicks in. We joked about the food, she cheered us on as we ate (and when I decided to just get a smoothie pouch and a PB&J because I couldn’t get the chicken down), and assured us that everything we were feeling and experiencing was good and totally normal.
Getting to talk to someone who danced and did so well and hearing her say that we were in great shape for the rest of the weekend was exactly the energy boost and validation I needed.
hours 31-36
Some of my favorite memories from the weekend were in the late night/early morning hours of Sunday, which is the last thing most people expect to hear. That’s supposed to be the worst part of the weekend, which is why Dancer Support Passes come down, but I was riding the high of knowing I still felt good physically (except for my feet, of course), great mentally and was so close to the end.
Here I was sure that I could make it and felt that I had pushed through the worst part already, which was my own low and anxiety at the beginning of the weekend.
It was definitely strange to be the person practically skipping around the BJC while other dancers were having their breakdowns, but it just goes to show that everyone’s dancing journey really is so different and there is no “right” path or way to be.
I actually received my dancer mail around 1 a.m. Sunday morning but decided not to read anything yet because I was in such a good place and knew I didn’t need it. I got to see my boyfriend, sister and my mom, which was amazing and helped lift my energy so much.
hours 37-40
In the early morning on Sunday, I had a really great moment where I was eating a Playa bowl (which was the best, most refreshing meal of the weekend), completely content and refreshed, and suddenly got this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to go outside. I wasn’t anxious or claustrophobic like earlier in the weekend, I just really wanted to go out one more time before they closed the doors.
I was so glad I did, because right as I stepped outside with nobody else out there, the sky erupted into pink and orange in the most beautiful sunrise ever. It was the most amazing, peaceful moment to breathe in the cold air and enjoy the view before heading back in for the last push of the weekend.
A little while later, I definitely started to feel a little confused and delusional. Everything was slightly hazy and I kept forgetting things. I was basically just following my friends and DRCMs around and trusting them to get me where I needed to go.
We pushed until 8 a.m. on Sunday before we finally caved and went to the ice baths for our feet. We were following the advice of a friend who danced last year — wait until you feel like you’re about to crumple before you get the ice baths and change your shoes because as soon as your feet come out of your sneakers and compression socks, they’re going to swell so much you won’t be able to get them back in.
Stepping into the ice bath was definitely slightly painful, but it really snapped me back into my body, which was exactly what I needed.
After the ice bath, we got our ankles wrapped, which hurt but helped a lot with walking around. I switched into my cushioned socks and Oofos recovery slides I bought for the weekend. Unfortunately, I discovered after one stretching session and a few minutes of walking around that my feet were too swollen for them and the strap was getting too tight.
I had to change back to my sneakers, which was definitely painful, but worth it in the long run because they helped hold my feet in place much more than the slides did. This meant that I stayed in the same pair of Asics for the entirety of THON Weekend, which is definitely not what most dancers or guides recommend.
My feet were definitely on fire, so I don’t know if I recommend doing this or not, but I got through the weekend feeling pretty great overall and didn’t have pain anywhere other than my heels, so maybe it worked for me.
I ended up reading my dancer mail around the end of Sunday morning and it, unsurprisingly, had me in shambles. Getting to read letters from my grandparents, friends, family, alumni and even my 2nd graders from student teaching was so moving and motivating. I know I’ll be cherishing those letters for a very long time.
hour 41
This hour gets a special mention because it was the strangest hour of my life. I had made it through the entire weekend without feeling too out-of-body or delusional, despite the fact that we were well into the hours when people can start to hallucinate and sleep deprivation really kicks in.
The hour before Final Four I finally started feeling really sleepy and my eyes got heavy. While fighting to stay awake, everything started feeling hazy again but this time, it was time itself that felt wrong.
I was talking to Kelsey and suddenly, the people behind her looked like they were moving too fast and her mouth looked like it was moving too slow. My brain literally could not comprehend the words she was telling me.
We started to get ready for our Final Four performance in a few hours and as I reached for my foundation, I felt my thumb hit the bottle about a half second before I actually saw it. This was just my brain processing everything slowly to conserve energy, but it sent me into full crisis mode.
I started crying, convinced that I fell asleep and everything was a dream. I told Kelsey she wasn’t real (which is hilarious now) and kept saying that everything was too dreamlike, I fell asleep at THON and I was in a dream.
It wasn’t quite a hallucination; it was just a strange feeling like nothing around me was real. I couldn’t explain what it was, I just felt very out-of-body.
Somehow in my “dream,” I remembered that Emily, who danced last year, told me about going through this phase when she was falling asleep standing up and time didn’t feel real. I immediately picked up the phone and called her crying. The second she picked up the phone, the poor girl heard me bawling saying “nothing feels real, why does nothing feel real?”
She assured me that the feeling would go away as soon as Final Four hit. I’d snap into my body, adrenaline would hit and I’d feel normal the rest of THON. She was exactly right.
Strangely, I found out later that multiple friends who were also dancing went through the exact same thing at the exact same time. It was just the final push to the end as our bodies tried to conserve energy.
hour 42-46
We walked back out to the floor around 11:45 to see our THON families coming down. As soon as we saw our friends in the stands, our families on the floor and the line dance recap from the last few years began, I felt completely normal and wide awake.
It is genuinely amazing what our bodies can do when we care about something. As soon as Family Hour began, I still felt the exhaustion and my feet ached, but I was completely myself and the time warp was done.
One of the best moments of the entire weekend was when my organization came down to the side of the stage during Family Hour as we were preparing to go on and sing “Dancing in the Sky.” I saw them all and literally ran to them. I cried hugging each of my friends and got to hear them whisper “we’re so proud of you, you did it, you’re so close to the end” and almost broke down.
For a few minutes, I laid across my boyfriend’s back while my friends scratched my arms and back and cried even more because I just felt so loved, supported and happy that we were so close to the end.
During the Celebration of Life video, we held each other up as we cried together. Then, it was time to head to the stage for “Dancing in the Sky.”
I had the honor of singing the solo for that song the past two years we’ve done performed and this year I had the honor of simply being on that stage as a dancer, held up by some of my best friends in that magical environment where everyone in the BJC is one. Everyone’s arms were around each other and the whole room was silent in that moment, all united in the same cause and sorrow for the lives we lost.
After we sang, I gave a teary goodbye to my friends and returned to the floor and our THON families for the last hour of the weekend. I think my body registered that I was so close to done, because even though Go Go Gadget’s performance was amazing and so fun, I was struggling to physically keep my eyes open. All of my muscles were relaxing on me.
When dancer sit-down came, we cried and hugged each member of our THON families. We couldn’t stop saying, “We did it. We actually did it.”
When total reveal came and we saw the number $17.7 million fly up in the air, we screamed, jumped up and down, cried and our THON families sprayed us with silly string that they had somehow stashed, which was the perfect way to end the weekend. Standing there watching the confetti fall down, none of the pain or exhaustion mattered.
All that mattered was $17.7 million going straight to families battling the unimaginable, families in so much more constant pain than I was in.
post-thon
After the total reveal, we went to grab our bags from Dancer Storage and left the BJC, following the human tunnel to the Multi-Sports Facility where we’d wait to be picked up. Dancers aren’t allowed to drive themselves home for (obvious) safety reasons, so I waited for my boyfriend to take me home.
I definitely fell asleep on my duffel bag while we were sitting and waiting to leave, because time flew for me here. The walk to the car at the top of the hill was absolutely brutal on my bruised, still-wrapped feet, but we made it. I struggled to keep my eyes open on the drive home, but I knew food and my cat were waiting for me, so I had to stay awake a little longer.
To anyone who made it to Champs after THON for the t-shirt, you have my respect, because I could barely stay awake long enough to take my contacts out, eat a few bites of Chinese takeout, get my ankle wraps off and change before bed. Luckily, I had my boyfriend’s family and my brother there to help me get around, because I was so out of it now that the adrenaline had worn off.
Kaleb put a body pillow across the bottom of the bed so I could sleep with my feet up, which I truly believe saved my life. The next few days when all my friends were struggling with foot pain, my feet felt amazing because all the swelling had gone down in my hibernation.
I fell asleep by 6 p.m., but actually had a strange moment around 9 p.m. where I woke up, completely convinced that I needed to stay awake for some reason (I may not have been totally convinced THON was over). The sleep deprivation paranoia had me freaking out about going back to sleep because I had been fighting to stay up for so long, but the rational part of my brain knew that sleep would make this feeling go away.
I was getting too anxious, so I woke up my boyfriend and begged him to go on a drive just to experience something normal. We ended up going to McDonald’s, I got a Sprite and the crispness of it snapped me back to myself. The fresh air, feel of being in a car and that sense of normalcy was definitely what I needed.
I ended up laying back down next to my very cuddly cat and slept for the next 14 hours. I expected to just crash immediately after THON, but my McDonald’s moment showed me, once again, that no two dancers will have the same experience.
I spent the next day relaxing, looking through pictures, texting thanks to everyone who supported me through and simply wrapping my mind around the fact that THON Weekend really happened, I really stood for 46 hours, and we raised $17.7 million. Even now, it doesn’t feel real.
THON Weekend was a dream, literally and figuratively. I hope that if you’re even considering dancing, you do, because if you have the passion for it and a “why,” you will be completely fine. I let myself get so worked up about what might happen, but in reality, I had a beautiful experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
If you do decide to dance, just trust your body and know that everything you’re feeling is normal. You will never be in a safer and more supportive place surrounded by so much love.
The amount of support I got through texts, letters, phone calls and visits from friends during the weekend was unreal. THON is family, THON is home and THON is love personified. I highly encourage anyone who got this far in my Dancer Diary to be as involved as they can be, because nothing like this exists outside of Penn State.
FTK, always.