A herd of 445 Rudolphs dressed in their festive best were on the streets of St Albans on Sunday for Rennie Grove Hospice Care’s annual 5K Rudolph Run and 1.5K family fun run.
After an up-tempo warm up led by Joanna Hancock from Everyone Active a group cheer went up and the fun runners were off!
Among them were Angie Wong and Steven Zhang and son Byron, five, who were all taking part for the first time. Also getting involved were Rebekah and three-year-old son Samuel Tester who added a sprinkle of Santa's style to their reindeer antlers.
Almost as quickly as they started, the first of the fun runners were back, collecting their medals from St Albans Mayor Cllr Janet Smith and enjoying a mince pie.
Next up were the 5K runners. One of the first to get into the festive spirit was Justine Anderson from Shenley who beamed as she crossed the finish line.
Sisters Ella and Annie Boon were greeted by their proud parents and Muffin the puppy. "Ella wanted us to do something today and found out about the Rudolph Run so here we are," explained their mum.
Julie and Neil are usually accompanied by their children but in a break in family tradition they ran as a couple this time. Steve and Jo Walsh found themselves in the same boat: "Our kids have their own things to do now they're older but we still wanted to do the run - it's for such a great cause," Steve explained.
Claire Redrup, head of community fundraising at Rennie Grove said: "Today has been a great way to start the countdown to Christmas.
"Thank you to everyone who participated and also to the Mayor and spectators who came to cheer on the runners. This event raises vital funds to support the care we provide for patients to help them live the best quality life they can with a choice about how and where they are cared for towards the end of life.
"Thanks go to our headline sponsors, Blanco and also to Waterend Barn, Greggs, AF Blakemore and Snow Centre. We also very grateful to our amazing volunteers who helped with registration and marshalling the route."
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