Finish The Ride and Finish The Run -- Halloween Was A Success!!
Donned in their Halloween best, runners and cyclists approached the starting at Valencia Heritage Park last Halloween for our Finish The Ride and Finish The Run Santa Clarita Halloween event.
We were so excited to host our first post-COVID event in Santa Clarita and return to live events with all your smiling faces!! As some of you know, each year our Finish The Ride Santa Clarita event sends cyclists traversing through the bike paths that criss-cross the Santa Clarita Valley, and this year, Finish The Run 5K and 10Ks were added for runners and walkers, giving everyone from families and beginners to serious cyclists and runners the chance to participate.
This year, because the event fell on Halloween, participants were encouraged to get in costume, with awards given for the best costumes in several categories.
The event was an exciting one for avid runner Whitney Russell, as it was her first 10K since the pandemic.
"There's no better feeling than getting together with the local running community -- I missed this," the Santa Clarita resident said. "Plus, Halloween is my favorite, so I went all out and made sure my friends would be getting in the spirit, too."
All dressed as athletes, Russell and her group of friends said they were "living out their fantasy lives as Olympians."
"We all continued running together during the pandemic, but there's no better feeling than getting to come out and compete with one another on a larger scale," added Valencia resident Paula Denner.
As most of our followers know, Finish The Ride events and Streets Are For Everyone was started by cyclist Damian Kevitt after he was nearly killed while riding in Griffith Park in 2013 as a movement for safer streets for cyclists and all road users.
And it's a movement that Tim Kenneth also holds dear to his heart, as a fellow cyclist and his best friend was severely injured while cycling in the Santa Clarita Valley.
"I'm out here today to support my buddy, along with all the other local cyclists," Kenneth said, gesturing toward the group preparing for our 25 mile Tour de River. "Distracted driving is a huge problem, so any way that I can help spread awareness, I'm going to get behind."
We really enjoyed having all of you joining us for our first live event since 2019!! Registration for the next Finish The Ride and Finish The Run event in Griffith Park on May 1, 2022 is open now! Register at www.FinishTheRide.org/ftr-griffith-park.
To view and purchase photos from the Santa Clarita -- Halloween event, click here.
See you all at Griffith Park in May and have a happy and safe holiday season!
*Text taken from the SCV Signal
