A triathlon to benefit the people of Darfur, along with free health screenings and other fitness activities, are on tap as West Virginia University celebrates National Collegiate Health and Wellness Week March 3-7.

All activities will take place at WVU s Student Recreation Center on the Evansdale Campus. Students and rec center members are encouraged to participate; many events are also open to nonmembers.

Entry fees for the Wellness Week Modified Triathlon, which begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday will support the Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of nonprofit groups working for a peaceful resolution to the military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

We are a new student organization that began solely based on raising awareness about Darfur,said Rory Driscol, president of Students Unite for Human Rights, the student group sponsoring the triathlon.We wanted to plan a big fundraising event, and working with the Student Recreation Center on this triathlon was perfect for us.

The top male and female triathlon winners will each go home with a $100 prize package. Participants will swim 450 yards (nine laps down and back) in the recreation centers pool, bike four miles on a stationary bike and run two miles on an indoor track.

An entry fee of $10 is required for the triathlon, and a mandatory meeting is scheduled for all competitors at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the rec center.

In addition, the Wellness Week Information and Services Fair will be from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday in the Student Recreation Centers free zone. The fair will offer services from various mental and physical health units such as WVU s Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services and the Student Health Service.

The Student Recreation Center will also offer free cholesterol and glucose screenings, acupuncture, swing dance instruction and WVU s largest Zumba class. The Zumba class (a popular fitness program inspired by Latin dance) will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the recs three-court gym.

All WVU employees and their families can utilize the Student Recreation Center for free Friday with a valid employee ID. The Kids Climb will take place at the climbing wall from 4-9 p.m. The cost for shoe rentals is $5. The family swim will be from 6:30-9 p.m.

Along with these activities, Colleen Harshbarger, the centers manager for fitness, wellness and informal recreation, will give a wellness talk,Making Exercise a Part of Your Lifestyle,at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Wellness Week also marks the midterm fitness assessments for the Student Recreation Centers Body for Break and Beyond, a popular health program that began last month. Participants will learn about their progress in the program from 3-7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Another popular Wellness Week activity, the cardboard canoe race, will test the creativity and ingenuity of students who will build canoes made only of cardboard, duct tape and plastic to race in the recs lap pool.

Canoe race participants must register at the recreation centers front desk by Friday (Feb. 29). Registration information and official race rules can be viewed at http://studentreccenter.wvu.edu/specialevents .

The full schedule of events is listed below. All activities take place at the Student Recreation Center unless otherwise noted:

Monday, March 3

10 a.m.4 p.m.Blood drive, four-court gym, Court 3

7-9:30 p.m.Social wellness event, WVU -University of Pittsburgh mens basketball game, Coliseum

7-9:30 p.m.Through with Chewbooth, Coliseum

Tuesday, March 4

4-7 p.m. * Wellness Week Information and Services Fair

3-7 p.m.Body for Break midway assessment, free zone *

3-4 p.m.Acupuncture by Acupuncture2Heal, meeting room

6-6:30 p.m.Making Exercise a Part of Your Lifestylepresentation, meeting room

7 p.m.Cardboard canoe race, lap pool

7:50-11 p.m.Swing dance instruction, Multipurpose Room A *

*Wednesday, March 5

3-7 p.m.Body for Break midway assessments, free zone

4 p.m.Wellness Week Modified Triathlon *

5:30-6:30 p.m.Zumba class, three-court gym

6-8 p.m.Free chair massage, upper weight and fitness room *

Thursday, March 6

3-7 p.m.Body for Break midway assessments, free zone

6-8:30 p.m.Discover Scuba, aquatic area *

6-8 p.m.Free chair massage, lower weight and fitness room

8:30-11 p.m.Kayak roll sessions, lap pool *

Friday, March 7

6 a.m.-midnightFree Day at the Rec for all WVU employees and their family members with valid employee ID

4-9 p.m.Kids Climb, climbing wall (optional: $5 shoe rental)

6:30-9 p.m.Family swim, aquatic area

Activities are open to WVU students and Student Recreation Center members only. A $7 day pass may be purchased at the front desk.