By Izzy Schmidt
Thousands of people dress up in red suits and white beards, and travel the globe to Las Vegas’ Town Square to participate in the Great Santa Run. This one mile or 5K run/walk benefits Opportunity Village, a local charity that caters to those who have intellectual disabilities.
In 2011, the Santa Run broke a world record for the most Santas in one place with 8,123 participants. Almost 10, 000 participants crossed the finish line in 2012. This year on December 7, thousands of racers joined in on the record-breaking run.
Local businesses lined the streets with booths offering free merchandise. A variety of performing groups from The Strip, like the Jabbawockeez, entertained the massive crowd. Three people even dropped from parachutes to kick start the race and Shania Twain served as a Grand Marshall. Of course, there was a grand appearance by Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Once again participation in the event was hosted by Cougar Buddies. Last year, CHS had the most attendees from all over Clark County. The goal was to beat last year’s number of participants.
“Our goal was to have 300 people,” said Ms. Wilson, PE teacher.
Caroline Teixeira, of Best Buddies, said, “I liked it because you got to hang out with friends, meet new people, and see new faces.”
