Below freezing temperatures Saturday morning did not stop nearly 100 participants from showing their Christmas spirit during the fourth annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jefferson City's Jingle Dash 5K.
Many supporters came dressed in festive attire to walk or run the route on High Street and Capitol Avenue with family, friends and mentors.
The fundraiser is about kicking off the holiday season and bringing awareness to the program, BBBS Program Director Lee Knernschield said.
"It's fun to see people dressed up," Knernschield said. "It's not a huge moneymaker for us. It creates awareness."
Funds go toward enrollment and matching of bigs and littles, Knernschield said.
All registered participants received reindeer antlers and a Jingle Dash T-shirt. Some took costumes up a notch with red and green socks, Christmas tree hats and Grinch attire.
Holts Summit resident Suzette Ryder sported a red onesie with "Dasher" embroidered on the back and antlers.
"You've got to be in the spirit of it to do this in this weather," Ryder said.
Local residents Megan Lewis, Stella Crane and St. Louis resident Mariah Bryan took the Christmas tree ornament awards for "most festive."
Lewis wore a cat holiday-themed sweater and a green tutu with lights. Crane kept warm in a Christmas light onesie, and Bryan wore a seasonal "Let it Snow" polar bear sweater.
All three signed up for a fun time to support a good cause.
John Krautmann, a Jefferson City big brother for three years, brought his little brother, Kemond Curie, to his first 5K. The pair bond over physical activities like fishing, basketball and bike riding.
Being a big brother allows Krautmann to teach Curie new things, he said. Krautmann took first place in the male 70 or older category.
Despite the cold, Curie was determined to run as fast as he could and have a good time. He was excited to run his first 5K.
Some participants joined for the extra running practice. Jefferson City High School student Tommy Roehl took first place overall. The cross country athlete's time was 17 minutes 36 seconds.
His mother, Christa Roehl, became a big sister this year.
"I would encourage people if they have the opportunity to look into it," Christa said. "There's always a need."
Also new to the program is little brother Malikai Walton. His grandmother Loran Walton signed him up this year to keep him active.
Loran walks 4 miles every day to keep energized enough to keep up with her grandson, she said. The BBBS program helped her son when he was younger. Now that she's Malikai's guardian, she knew a big brother would be a good fit for him too, Loran said.
"I thought it was a really good program when my son was in it, so I wanted to pass it on to Malikai," Loran said.
The pair crossed the finish line together Saturday in their Santa hats.