There was an exciting race in Niantic on Saturday morning.
Participants not only laced up their shoes, many also zipped up their costumes for the 10th Niantic Jingle Bell 5K.
"I just thought candy cane and thought, that's me," said Cathy Foto, of Niantic.
Dressed in a candy cane costume, Foto certainly brought the holiday spirit. This was her first time participating and she did it with dozens of people from her community.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Christy Miller from West Hartford was dressed as a shimmering Christmas tree. Her feet were even made to look like wrapped Christmas presents.
"I really love Christmas, and I do a lot of these holiday runs so I'm always looking for like something bigger than the year before," said Miller.
This fun and festive 5K benefits the Brian Dagle Foundation. Co-founder and executive director Ann Irr Dagle started it after losing her son to suicide in November 2011.
Local
Since then, she has made it her mission to be there for families grieving the loss of a loved one by offering support services and opportunities like this run.
"We created something out of a tragedy that we never thought we could do and so it's a beautiful way for us. It heals us so much more. So, it's a beautiful gift," said Dagle.
Dagle says well over 1,000 people came out to the run. Among them was a family celebrating the life of their son, Gavin.
"He was 17 years old. He was a senior in high school. So, we run in honor of him," said his father Chris Carlisle.
Carlisle says shortly after Gavin died in 2019, he joined a support group through the Brian Dagle Foundation, which he says helped him and his family find hope.
This was his fourth year doing the race with his wife, kids, and friends, all of them representing "Team Gavin."
"This is my therapy, you know? Doing all this, talking about mental health and suicide prevention," said Carlisle.
Ann Irr Dagle, and families just like her, call this holiday run a gift. It's also a time to support families who can't spend the holidays with their lost loved ones.
