Annual Ugly Sweater Run in Wilmington held Thursday night

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Some folks in Wilmington had a little holiday fun Thursday night while also getting their steps in at Fleet Feet’s annual Ugly Sweater Run.

Due to COVID-19, this year’s event was a combination of the Ugly Sweater Run and ‘Dashing Through the Glow’, a one mile and 5k race that usually draws a crowd of more than 700 runners.

The group started off at Fleet Feet in the forum and separated into smaller groups as they ran around Mayfaire and into the Parkside neighborhood, enjoying the Christmas lights as they ran.

Two participants say they were glad the event could happen despite COVID-19.

“It was a good opportunity to get dressed up and do something festive for 2020 since we have not had a lot of festivities in 2020,” said participant Jennifer Dorton. “There’s a lot of people with some wild costumes, people really decided to get into the spirit of Christmas.”

“It’s been a long time since we all got together so it’s pretty good,” said participant Mailin Carignan.

There were also raffles, and the person with the most festive costume won a free pair of Brooks running shoes.