Santa lounged in a blue lawn chair and watched members of the GFWC Plant City Junior Woman’s Club sip steaming cups of hot chocolate in the crisp morning air as they all waited silently for a shout.
After fifteen minutes a voice in the woods rang out, alerting the group the runners were on their way. Quickly, Little Miss Plant City and her court arranged themselves at the finish line, dozens of gold medals hanging off of their arms as they prepared to greet the contestants of the Inaugural Reindeer 5k Run, held Dec. 2.
John Hodgkinson, 58, rounded a corner and sprinted across the finish line at 18 minutes and 51 seconds. Paul Catalano, 16, was on his heels and dashed through at 19 minutes and 12 seconds. Over a hundred other contestants, many donned in holiday themed attire, made their way through the woods to the festive clearing where Santa and their prizes awaited.
“We wanted to try something different for our club and maybe start some new traditions and 5ks seemed like something families can do together,” Samantha Blahnik, secretary of the club, said. “Obviously we’re trying to make it a big family event and a trail run makes it less competitive. It’s got a nice feeling of a friendly family atmosphere.”
Proceeds from the run went toward the Shoe Project, which provides new shoes and socks to more than 700 underprivileged students in the community. The club is partnered with 15 local elementary schools and raises money all year long for the project.
The impact the group has on the community drew many to the event. Current and former teachers from Dover
Elementary carpooled before the sun had risen to show support for not only the young women who run the club, but also for their students who benefit from the Shoe Project.
“This was important because the women’s group did this and it goes for Shoes for Kids and what’s better than that?” Evelyn Vila, a retired educator from Dover Elementary, said. “A lot of what they’re doing benefits our Dover kids.”
Contestants varied from competitive runners to mom’s navigating their children along the trail in small push cars. Regardless of how long it took each competitor to complete the race, they all finished with a smile, giving Santa sweaty but vigorous victory hugs.
Over 100 people signed up online in advance and another 20 registered the day of the event. Blahnik said she hopes it will increase in size every year and draw in runners throughout Tampa Bay, a goal it is well on its way to completing. Catalano, who won second overall and first in his age group, said he actively searches for races to compete in on the weekends. He and his father woke up at 5 a.m. to drive from Tampa to Alafia River State Park to participate.
“I feel pretty good,” Catalano said. “It was a fun race. If they do this again I’ll probably come back.”
Hearing the community voice its support and seeing first hand the faces of the children who benefit from the Shoe Project makes all of the 3 a.m. mornings and late nights worth it, Blahnik said.
“We don’t just know that we’re making a difference in the community, we see that we’re making a difference and that’s why we do this,” Blahnik said. “This is obviously our first year with the run so we’re going to learn a lot, but I hope we can just continue to improve every year.”