Even before the shopping mall was open, hundreds gathered at the parking lot of the Round Rock Premium Outlets on Sunday.

These early risers were not there to get their hands on the latest bargain. They were there to participate in the 33rd annual Daisy 5K put on by the Austin Runners Club.

Megan Baker is a the Director of Volunteer Services for the Austin Runners Club.

"We decided on the Round Rock Premium Outlets because we were having problems finding a location that was affordable as well as beneficial to our participants," she said.

The event is usually held in the Downtown Austin, but Baker said the costs associated with holding the event there led them to move.

"Since we're a nonprofit club, a lot of the downtown barricades and
police that are required are sometimes too costly for a club like ourselves," Baker said.

However, runners like Irene Xenitis said this course was just not the same as running downtown.

"I still like to go downtown. I think it's a lot more fun," she said.

On top of that, Xenitis said the course was a little different from what she was used to.

"It was kind of flat, so I think it made it harder to run," she said. "Whereas in downtown, there are hills where you can break it down a little bit."

But Baker said the location comes at a high cost, when taking into account the application fees and permit fee, on top of the cost for barricades and police.

According to the Public Information Specialist with the Austin Transportation Department, the application fee is $359. There is also a permit fee accessed of $100 per block, for up to 15 blocks.

"I do think that looking at outside space, whether it be parks, it's malls like the Domain or the Galleria and what not, I think they are going to become more popular just because we can't afford to pay for all the costs associated with the race and still have beneficiaries," Baker said.

This year, the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas was chosen as a beneficiary of the race.

"A lot of the reasons that we have these races is to raise money for the groups that we want to give back to," Baker said.

The nonprofit organization has provided support for patients diagnosed with breast cancer since 1995. The group provides support services to breast cancer patients. Ronnie Palmer has been a volunteer with the group for more than a year.

"When a woman is told that she has breast cancer, her life stops," Palmer said. "She can have the most supportive family and group of friends that anybody has ever had, but it's hard for her to talk about her feelings."

As a breast cancer survivor herself, Palmer said she understands what patients who seek the center's help go through.

"Just to sit quietly and to hold a person's hand can say more than a thousand words," Palmer said.

While Palmer was not aware of the services provided by the center when she was diagnosed, she said currently working with the organization has helped her.

"You feel like you're in a breast cancer sorority," she said. "We take something that was a tragedy and we make it into something that makes the community aware of our services."

The Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas currently serve Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown and San Marcos.

Austin Runners Club officials said they liked the location of the event so much, they plan to hold the Daisy 5K at the Round Rock Premium Outlets again next year.