Santa Fun Run ‘Claus for a Cause’

The Santa Fun Run was back on Saturday morning, bigger than ever. Mackle Park was transformed into a sea of Santa hats and candy-striped socks for the third annual event, with more runners, more walkers, and more dollars raised. Over 250 paid entrants, plus 40 or so kids under 10 who participated without charge, and several costumed canines came out and ran the distance. 

They didn’t have to run. They could “run, jog, walk, roll, stroll, or scoot,” said Arne Sandberg. Arne and Jill Sandberg, who originated the event two years ago, once again organized the run and covered all the expenses, so 100 percent of the funds taken in went to the community. Jill is a member of the Noontime Rotary, and Arne belongs to the Sunrise Rotary, so they naturally turned to Rotarians and Interact students from Marco Island Academy to help out as volunteers. The serious runners covered three miles – actually 5k, or 3.1 miles – while the walkers and casual participants did a mile and a half. 

And while the event may have looked like a race, with numbers on the people’s chests, an arch to finish under, and medals handed out, it was really a fun- and fund-raising event, not a competition, said Arne. 

Mary Jo O’Regan sang the National Anthem, Arne Sandberg gave routing instructions, and the event kicked off right on time at 8:00 AM. 

Costumes were encouraged, and some took that and, well, ran with it in a variety of Christmas attire. Many made it a family affair, with couples, children, parents, and grandparents covering the course together. Remy, the Burke family’s dog, might have won the trophy for cutest canine, if such were awarded, in his “So Elfin’ Merry” sweater, although he had some serious competition from Charlie, Cheryl, and John Aschenbrenner’s Schnoodle, wearing a red and green gingerbread man-themed bodysuit. 

For their entry fee – $30 for adults, $20 for those 10 – 17, and free for children under 10 (and the dogs) – each participant received a Santa hat, a Santa Fun Run t-shirt, a finisher’s medal, and the traditional milk and cookies after completing the course, although water seemed to be more popular than milk. Ori’s Bakery and Café donated hundreds of cookies, so Santa never had it so good in the baked goods department. 

Local attorney Bill Morris, along with sons Tebow and Cole, were among those handing out medals to finishers, but a lot of the action was centered around the cookie table. A number of kids got to ride the entire track in their running strollers and still partake of the cookies and receive a medal to hang around their neck. 

When the dollars were tallied, the Santa Fun Run took in $5,080 in preregistrations, $1,950 in sponsorships, and $2,210 on the day of the event, said Sandberg, for a total of $9,240, to be split between the Marco Police Foundation and the Sunrise Rotary’s charitable efforts.