MAX
COURIER L M B G IFE, DEC. 7–13, 2018 29
FUN RUN: This little lady was all smiles as she crossed the
fi nish line at the Dec. 1 Jingle Bell Jog in Prospect Park.
New York Road Runners
Christmas
sweaters!
Thousands dash through
Prospect in Jingle Jog
BY COLIN MIXSON
They jingled all the way — to the fi nish line!
Thousands of gaily attired joggers fl ocked to
Prospect Park for a holiday fun run on Dec. 1, where
racers ran with bells strapped to their sneakers as
spectators cheered them on wearing wacky Christmas
costumes, according to a Flatbusher who ran
the day away.
“One of my favorite spectators was someone in a
Santa suit with a giant cutout of a cat head on a big,
wooden stick,” said Alexandra Biss, who hoofed it
through Brooklyn’s Backyard. “It made me happy to
be a Brooklyn resident.”
More than 5,000 runners suited up for the 31st
edition of the appropriately dubbed Jingle Bell Jog
5k, many competing in getups that included Santa
and Mrs. Claus, elves, two-legged Christmas trees
and reindeer, and even some Dr. Seuss characters
such as Thing One and Thing Two, amidst the more
practical, spandex-clad runners.
Brooklyn’s own Kate Gustafson took home the
women’s gold medal by completing the 3.1-mile
course with a time of 18:18, while British runner
Ryan Prout crossed the fi nish line at 16:24 to take
the top prize in the men’s category.
The holiday-themed race is a major fund-raising
event for athletes with the New York Road Runners,
which annually organizes the Jingle Bell Jog along
with other events, such as the New York City Marathon
, across the fi ve boroughs.
This year, the Road Runners collected a whopping
$300,000 in Jingle Bell Jog donations, money
that will go towards fi nancing the group’s youth
program, Rising New York Road Runners, which offers
free events and classes to some 125,000 city kids
a year, according to an organization honcho.
“We never charge parents or teachers for our
youth programs,” said Rachel Pratt. “And the money
we raised on Saturday helps to keep them free.”