Keith Strange | The News
Prior to the start of the run, participants gather near the shelter and enjoy music while others register. City Clerk Nicki Brame came to the event dressed as an elf.
Keith Strange | The News
More than 400 runners, serious and recreational alike, gather at Riverside Park Saturday morning to participate in this year’s fourth annual Rosy Cheeks 5K. The event was an annual toy drive sponsored by Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, the Mount Airy Police Department and the Mount Airy Road Runners.
Cheeks were indeed rosy on both young and old at Riverside Park Saturday morning, but that did little to quell the smiles and cheer on faces of the runners.
More than 400 area participants turned up on a foggy Saturday morning to get a little exercise and help a needy child as Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, the Mount Airy Police Department and the Mount Airy Road Runners joined forces for this year’s Rosy Cheeks 5K.
The event got under way at 9 a.m.
Prior to the start of the run, Christmas music played as another hundred or so runners registered at the site.
Darren Lewis, assistant director of Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, said Saturday’s fourth annual event was a way to get a little exercise while helping others during the holiday season.
“This 5K is also a toy drive that we’re doing in cooperation with the two other organizations,” he said. “The only entry fee needed to participate is an unwrapped toy that will be given to needy children in the community.”
Looking over the assembling crowd a half hour before the start of the run, Lewis said he was pleased with this year’s participation.
“This is a great event,” he said. “The turnout has been outstanding and this shows that Mount Airy residents are all about giving back to the community.”
Nicki Brame, who serves as the city’s clerk during the day, was dressed as an elf Saturday morning.
“I have a great time,” she said. “It’s for a great cause and it’s just a fun event. I love it.”
Reach Keith Strange at kstrange@heartlandpublications.com or 719-1929.
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