Costumed runners brave chill to aid children's backpack program

Costumed runners were greeted with chilly winds and temperatures in the high 30s Saturday morning at Crossroads Church in Jackson for the inaugural Ghost and Goblin Gallop 5K.

More than two dozen racers crossed the finish line, with some in costumes that included a zombie princess, Wonder Woman, the Hulk and even Harry Potter without a broomstick.

Jeff Cox of Jackson finished first in the race with his wife, Tracey, finishing second about 2 minutes behind him. Seth Monroe, 14, of Jackson finished third.

Proceeds from the event went to the church’s backpack ministry, which serves about 400 children in the Jackson School District.

Race organizer Sarah Goodwin said the event served as a festive way to raise money, and she said she hopes to see attendance grow in future years.

Whitney Goodwin, 9, left, and her cousin Tristan Vines, 7, run during the first Ghost and Goblin Gallop 5k race Saturday to raise money for the Crossroads Backpack Fair in Jackson.Andrew J. Whitaker

“We’re always looking for creative ways to raise money that people might want to come out and do,” Goodwin said. “We know a lot of 5K’s happen, but we’d never heard of one where you run in your Halloween costume, so we thought it’d be a fun idea and maybe get a different crowd of people to come and help.”

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From left, Gretchen Probst, Jennifer Auer and Jennifer Monroe cross the finish line Saturday during the first Ghost and Goblin Gallop 5k race to raise money for the Crossroads Backpack Fair in Jackson.Andrew J. Whitaker