The 47th annual Runnin’ O’ the Green kicked off Saturday as winter weather came down around an event that encapsulates the community spirit of Jamestown. People boasting gaudy green attire, and a few green garden gnomes, traversed the snowy terrain as residents witnessed the most people walking about town that we see all year. A couple houses along the route offered respite to participants, offering home-cooked food and company. Despite the cold, greetings from neighbors and visitors kept the “runners” warm.
The weather likely contributed to a slight dip in participation this year, as the Jamestown Sun reports 700 official registrants compared to last year’s 800. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Saturday and Sunday, with a windy forecast and 2-6 inches of accumulating snow. Despite the weather roadblocks, event founder Larry Knoblich said that the event successfully raised funds for Elks Camp Grassick and local cancer patients.
Knoblich remains hopeful that late donations will allow the event to meet its traditional giving benchmarks, including $25,000 for Elks Camp Grassick and $10,000 for local cancer patients. In the last 15 years alone, the Sun reports that the Run has provided $500 checks to 253 different cancer patients in the region. 100% of the $10 registration fee goes directly to charity.
Knoblich estimated that at least 500 additional people joined the crawl without paying the registration fee, which is a trend he hopes to reverse next year to maximize charitable donations.
The Jamestown Police Department reported that the event was generally well-behaved, but officers were kept busy with winter-related incidents and typical event-day traffic.
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