The Chatham County Partnership for Children held its 19th Reindeer Run 5K in Pittsboro last Saturday.
Participants ran on a USATF certified course that started at Central Carolina Community College and looped back around through downtown Pittsboro for the 5K. 741 people signed up for the event which included runners in Rudolph’s Fun Run, a shorter race held for young children.
Funds raised from the race go towards projects that promote physical activity in Chatham County, including walking paths, playgrounds and sporting equipment. Although there isn’t yet an official count of funds raised from the event, Jerry Lux, the race director, says he’s confident the organization can give out about $10,000 in grant money in the next grant cycle.
Costen Irons, a 44-year old Chapel Hill man, finished first in the 5K with a time of 17:14.93 and became the top overall male runner. Julia Hall, a 16-year old Pittsboro girl, became the top overall female runner with a 15th-place time of 20:18.22.
Hall runs for Northwood High School’s cross country and track teams.
“It was a really good event,” Lux said. “Really excited to finish the 19th year because 20 is a pretty big milestone, and we’re looking forward to that coming up next year.”