The 5th annual Jingle All The Way Run will take place in Wallaceburg on Saturday morning.
The run will also be a fundraiser for the local food bank as well.
Karen Eddleston, a member of the Defiance Running Club who organizes the event, said the cost to enter the run is just a canned good.
“One, two or cash,” she told the Sydenham Current.
“We take cash. All of the donations go to the St. Vincent de Paul food baskets for Christmas.”
The donations, including toiletries, all stay in the community.
Eddleston said the run started as an idea by her and a handful of her running buddies, and has grown over the years with the Defiance Running Club.
In 2012 a total of 45 people participated, and last year there were 118 paticipants.
Eddleston said the run/walk starts and finishes at the Wallaceburg Kinsmen Community Centre.
“It is a loop and it is almost exactly 5k,” she said. “Down Dufferin, through downtown James Street, up Nelson Street and over McKee all the way back down Forhan and winding back to the Kinsmen Centre.”
Eddleston said people should dress up to get the full experience.
“Ugly Christmas sweaters, ugly Christmas pants, hats, and your own bells if you want, but we supply the jingle bells. Antlers or whatever is Christmas for people,” she said.
“At every corner where people have to turn at, there will be volunteers ringing a bell.”
“The walkers start at 8:45 a.m. and the runners start at 9 a.m. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m., so that’s when everybody can come.”
There will be quite a few door prizes handed out as well, Eddleston said.
“We have free hot chocolate and coffee,” she said. Sarah Cogghe from Tim Horton’s is bringing that and Jennifer Andrusiak from Remax in Chatham can’t be there, so she gave up five cases of water and a door prize.”
Eddleston said she is hoping to eclipse last year’s total and get over 120 people participating.
For more details, give the event a ‘Like’ on Facebook.
