Fun run or cozy mozy?

Ugly sweaters have had a place in popular culture since the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that they truly entered the mainstream with Clark Griswold. On December 2, more than a dozen ugly sweater clad people could be seen dashing up Elm Street.

“We only had 13 people show, which wasn’t too bad considering it was maybe 20 degrees and the wind was blowing 40 miles per hour,” said Kim Hemenway, director of the Saratoga Recreation Department. “We had some brave souls come out. The course was up the hill and into the wind. So, I was pretty pleased we had 13 people show.”

While most fun runs are a 5K, this one was just a tad shorter.

“It was only about a two mile run, it wasn’t a full 5K,” said Hemenway. “When we were thinking about doing a full 5K, we were a little concerned about what the weather would be like.”

While there was plenty of wind and cold, there fortunately wasn’t any snow to impede the runners. The course started at the recreation center and went up Elm Street, circled around the subdivision west of the Saratoga Middle High School before returning to the recreation center. The event, which the Saratoga Recreation Department co-hosted with the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, didn’t have any placings but all the participants were given ugly sweater themed hats. A number of them are still available at the Chamber of Commerce.

The idea, according to Hemenway, came with the help of Joe Elder, director of the Platte Valley Community Center.

“Well, Joe (Elder) and I had talked about some runs they had in the past. We were trying to incorporate some Christmas theme with it,” said Hemenway. “We thought ‘Hey, how about ugly sweaters? That’s kind of a fun one this time of year.’”

With the initial success of the fun run, Hemenway said there are plans to do the event again next year.

“My hope was, four times a year, to do something seasonal whether it’s a run or a fall festival or a spring fling. Hope to do it next year for sure,” said Hemenway.

Hemenway said the Saratoga Recreation Department is open to ideas from the public for any new events. She encourages people to stop by the recreation center and share them.