COURIER L 10 IFE, DEC. 7–13, 2018 DT
FUN RUN: This little lady was all smiles as she ran the fi nal steps of the Jingle Bell Jog
through Prospect Park on Dec. 1. New York Road Runners
It’s a yule jog!
Holiday 5k in Brooklyn’s Backyard draws
thousands of festively dressed runners
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 jog along with other
events, such as the New York City Marathon
, across the fi ve boroughs.
This year, the Road Runners collected
A THING, OR TWO: Joggers dressed as
Thing One and Thing Two crossed the fi nish
line together. New York Road Runners
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.
“There’s a real need to ensure kids
are moving,” said Rachel Pratt. “We
never charge parents or teachers for
our youth programs, and the money
we raised on Saturday helps to keep
them free.”