Fifty-eight people registered for the first-ever Santa Run, held in Olds on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The event, now expected to be an annual occurrence, is a fundraiser for the Olds Regional Exhibition (ORE).
ORE facility booking co-ordinator Kristy Hartt organized the run. She's happy with that turnout, although a lot of Santa suits were left unused. Organizers obtained Santa Suits for the first 150 entrants; that cost was covered in their registration.
Hartt did get the variety of entrants she was looking for. There were kids and adults, families and individual runners, marathoners and people who rarely run anywhere.
Participants ran (or walked) in a three-kilometere course to and from the Cow Palace. The first runners completed the run in about 16 minutes.
“You guys are all my favourite people right now and you're super cool,” Hartt said just before the run began. “I really, really appreciate all you guys coming out to join us.”
ORE president Anne Burgess thanked the crowd for their support of the exhibition.
Mayor Judy Dahl also spoke, describing the turnout as “really truly awesome.”
Michael Brown, a triathlete who moved to Olds this past August from northern Alberta, was the first person to complete the run.
“Oh, that was just, ho ho wonderful, a ho-le lot of fun,” he said, panting just a little bit. “That race is for all the cows at the Cow Palace.”
Brown said he hasn't been able to train as much as he'd like since he and his family moved here because they bought an old house and he's been doing lots of renovations.
He described his time, 16:38, as “not very good.”
However, Brown said the idea of the run is a great one.
“It's perfect,” he said, “seeing all these people in the town who are similar-minded that want to have fun and make this town really amazing. I think that's the best thing about it.”
“I just want my kids to start running when they get older,” Brown said.
They're six, four and three years old.
He's also pleased to see the proceeds going toward the ORE.
“If they keep doing things like this, the town's just going to keep getting better and better.”
Kobi Chant was the first kid to finish the run, coming in just a few minutes after Brown.
“It was fun,” Chant said, “icy sidewalks, but they weren't that bad.”
Chant says he'd like to enter the run next year.
When asked what he liked about it, he said, “just getting outside and getting to exercise,” he said.
Chant said he ran almost all the way.
“I walked in between a couple of sprints,” he said.
