The Kelowna Professional Firefighters Charitable Society and the Running Room hosted the Run Like the Irish, in Kelowna today.
Set along the Mission Park Greenway on Springfield Road, the event consisted of a 1-kilometre toonie run for kids as well as a 5-km walk/run and a 10-km run for the rest of the eager participants.
This year had a 30% increase in the number of participants with nearly 130 runners donning green and braving the cold, according to Robyn Zimmerman, a dispatcher with the fire department and organizer of the event.
"Run like the Irish" kids run finishers!
— NJohnson (@NJ_7816) March 17, 2018
Come out and support kelowna fire department charitable society. #kelowna #StPatricksDay pic.twitter.com/gfAWUsOh6A
"It was an awesome day," said Zimmermann, who added the Win Your Weight In Beer prize was a crowd-pleaser.
Runners of all ages dashed along the Greenway, making their way to the finish—all for a good cause.
About $5,000 were raised and the funds will go to the burn fund, helping burn victims to receive treatment in Vancouver.
The kid's 1-km toonie run had participants dashing out to the Blarney Stone and back (a rock about 500 metres from the start).
"They loved it," said Zimmermann. "The firefighters were all dressed up and ran with the kids to the Blarney Stone."
This marks the Kelowna Professional Firefighters Charitable Society's fourth annual St. Paddy's Day charity run.
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