Community Fun at the Annual Creepy Crawl

Mascots+line+up+at+the+finish+line+at+the+annual+creepy+crawl+to+cheer+on+the+childrens+race.

Elizabeth Beagle

Mascots line up at the finish line at the annual creepy crawl to cheer on the children’s race.

Elizabeth Beagle, Editor

For some people in the community, their Halloween morning may consist of sleeping in late and sneaking a few pieces of candy before the houses are swamped with trick-or-treaters. However, others started their day bright, early and dressed up in a costume with running shoes on their feet. The annual Creepy Crawl 5K, hosted by the YMCA, was the morning event of Monument, and running in it was seven hundred men, women and children.

Each year, the YMCA puts on this on this fun run as a fundraiser to support events and classes at the YMCA. With the help of the community’s key clubs, the YMCA worked hard to ensure that the race was spirited and enjoyable, obviously safe and maybe just a bit spooky. Tables were covered in stretched cotton and covered in glittery tarantulas. Everywhere you looked you ran the chance of seeing superman, fairy princesses and in some cases a life sized hotdog.

A man runs as a hot dog to take part in the festive Halloween 5K.
Elizabeth Beagle
A man runs as a hot dog to take part in the festive Halloween 5K.

“The thing that kept my mind off the running was the costumes. I kept passing superman, so that was fun. It was easy to not think about running because of all the cute costumes,” Deb Thompson, science teacher at Lewis-Palmer High School, said.  

Running in the Creepy Crawls from Lewis-Palmer was the Baxter and Thompson family. Dressed in the Creepy Crawl T-shirts and leggings, the group enjoyed the festivities of the 5k and were amused by all of the costumes and hospitality of the volunteers.

A YMCA volunteer leads the group in a dance warm-up before the race starts.
Elizabeth Beagle
A YMCA volunteer leads the group in a dance warm-up before the race starts.

“I saw some of the volunteers near the end of the run running alongside of us cheering everyone on,” Thompson said.

Water was distributed by Monument Pediatrics to the runners after the run, along with prizes to the top finishers. At 10:30 a.m. little supermans, animals and princesses became visible as they went once around the lake during the Kids Run. They finished under a tunnel of hands and and the Palmer Ridge High School’s Cheerleaders pom-poms.

“All the kids were dressed up. It was really adorable.” Thompson said.

Jack Lloyd runs dressed as scooby-doo with his father, Brandon Lloyd.
Elizabeth Beagle
Jack Lloyd runs dressed as scooby-doo with his father, Brandon Lloyd.

Before the race, everyone warmed up on the line to Thriller and the Ghostbusters theme song. After, everyone had the chance of taking pictures, hugging or high-fiving the YMCA’s mascots, which were big colorful letters spelling YMCA. Though some children did not appreciate the towering letters, most of them ran up to greet them with some of the hardest high-fives they could give.

“We dressed in the mascot dressed up as the YMCA mascots and gave the kids high-fives. It was really fun,”Sky McKenna,10, said. “Everyone treated the volunteers well and everyone seemed really happy.”

At 9:30a.m. that morning, the adult runners took off. As a ‘fun run’, no one is required to run, and as a result, times ranged from seventeen minutes to seventy minutes, but no matter the time, a good portion of community showed up and were outside enjoying the sunny morning and the festive atmosphere.

“Nothing was unusual, there was really good weather this year compared to other times I have done 5Ks” Thompson said.

Each year, the population of Creepy Crawl runner grows, and the YMCA is hoping for even more people to come out and enjoy the running and the festivities.

Runners take off at 9:30 a.m. for the annual Creepy Crawl.
Elizabeth Beagle
Runners take off at 9:30 a.m. for the annual Creepy Crawl.