A sea of red, white, and beard ran through Duluth this past Saturday, as Wild State Ciders 4th annual Santa 5k Fun Run took place.

People from all over the area came to run the 5k, but although everyone was dressed the same, their goals were vastly different.

“I’m making my husband run with me, so make him run slow with me so we can do it as a couple and he doesn’t leave me in the dust,” said Megan Murphy, a Duluth resident.

“My goal is to just make it through and to not, you know, lose anything, lose my beard or anything like that and just have a fun time afterwards,” said Peter Sheehan, one of the 500 Santas who participated in the 5k.

“It’s mostly just a fun run where a lot of people who are runners, people from Grandmas and also just people who want to come and walk and just enjoy seeing a bunch of people in Santa suits can. It’s just a fun community event,” said Allison Longley, one of the owners of Wild State Cider.

Because the race was considered a fun run, timing wasn’t used and official results weren’t kept.

The event started and ended at Wild State Cider, and included holiday music, food, free cider, and of course, the Santa suits.

“I didn’t know you could keep your suit, that’s pretty nice. I’ll be wearing this thing for years to come,” said Sheehan.

Beyond the suits, the Christmas spirit was in the air, and those that attended the event had plenty of appreciation.

“Everything is very professional, very well done. Everything is very well organized. It seems like a good time,” said Sheehan.

“I think it’s super cool,” added Murphy. “I feel like Duluth has a lot of really great events like this. We do the turkey trot, the different runs they do, the different things the community does. It’s really fun to live here, be a part of things like this.”