The Park City Education Foundation along with several members of the community completed another successful Running with Ed event on May 19. Running with Ed is a 41-mile relay race through Park City. This year, the foundation, along with 47 fundraising teams, raised $135,000 for Park City School District schools.

According to PCEF spokesperson Jennifer Billow, the event raised about $45,000 more than last year. The money is designated for school site grants for next school year.

“We had people saying it was the most fun one they had attended and the energy was really high,” Billow said, adding that teams consist of five runners. Each section of the relay varies in difficulty for beginners to intermediate runners. Teams break up the races depending on their team’s skill level, she said.

According to Billow, there were about 650 runners, more than 1,000 walkers participating in the Walk-a-Thon, and 150 volunteers from the community and the Park City School District. Trailside Elementary School Principal Kathy Einhorn participated in the Walk-a-Thon for the second year.

“I thought the whole event was so well organized by the education foundation and the community. The kids were so excited to get out and walk and I thought the energy was fabulous,” Einhorn said, adding that Trailside was also the location of one of the exchanges for runners and the school won best themed exchange with the theme “A Candyland of Learning,” she said.

According to Running with Ed fundraising chair Elissa Aten, it was the first year the event committee directed more effort into fundraising. Last year the teams fundraised about $9,000 and this year the teams raised about $41,000. It is the third year Aten has participated in the event and she said it’s her favorite non-powder day of the year.

“I asked if I could get involved, and I think everyone for PCEF was busy getting the race organized so I think this was a great year for the fundraising aspect to get involved. We made it a priority,” Aten said.

About 47 teams raised anywhere from $200 to more than $6,000 in a little more than a month, she said, adding that a lot of the teams that raised more money matched donations or had sponsors matching donations. The top three fundraising teams were 4 Fat Guys and Robyn, OK3 Air and Fund-er Games. Teams that raised more than $1,000 were also eligible to win team prizes.

Running with Ed race founder and director Tim Chesley started the event with his wife, Joanna Chesley, three years ago. He said the original idea of a 41-mile relay hasn’t changed, but they hope to continue expanding the event each year.

“I started it three years ago and it was the PCEF trying to come up with a community event that would be a spring fundraiser and we just sat around a table and brainstormed,” Chesley said. “It just all came together with the help of a great committee.”

Each year, the event has grown, with more teams getting involved each time. Chesley said the first year 45 teams signed up, the second year 88 teams participated and this year 125 teams joined the event.

“It’s growing every year greater than we expected,” he said. “It’s just so much fun and people love it. I’m hearing that people think this is the best community event of the year. The thing that really works is word of mouth and that’s what’s helping it grow.”

Top race results:

Men

1 – The Men of the Classroom – 4:34:05

2 – Will Run for Monty – 5:05:34

3 – Maxwells – 5:20:21

Women

1 – Park City Cheerios – 5:29:36

2 – Scrambled Legs with Jam – 5:30:33

3 – Supermommas – 5:39:04

Mixed

1 – Connolly Cruisers – 4:45:57

2 – Bad Assets – 5:22:58

3 – Fantastic Five – 5:26:50