Runners take off at the start of the Twilight Run 5K. Photo by John Esper/The Connection
On a rainy Saturday night, residents of Clifton and surrounding areas came together for the 19th Annual Clifton Caboose Twilight Run at the intersection of Clifton Road and Main Street. The Twilight Run offers a 5K along with a 1-mile walk that participants could join if they paid a small fee.
The Run brought the Clifton community together while raising funds for the Clifton Betterment Association, a program that helps improve areas of Clifton.
Live entertainment along with food and drink provided to the runners at a local barnhouse followed the race.
“Money supports the CBA which we use for projects such as the bar, which we put in a lot of work in to renovate,” said Gary Anderson, the administrator for the event.
Anderson has been organizing the 5K since 2005 and believes that it helps bond the community tighter together.
“A lot of people have been coming out for years. I see a lot of the same faces again. Some of the kids who started out doing the one-mile are now doing the 5K so I would say it’s a great community event.”
Although the weather was dreary, the attitudes of the runners were anything but. “I think it’s a lot of fun. It feels like this small town area but a lot of people come out and support it,” said Ralph Navarrete, a runner in the 5K. The winner of the race was Keith Freeburn with a time of 17:15.
“It felt good [to win]… Clifton is such a cool town,” Freeburn said.
To find the full results of the Twilight Run visit www.cliftonva.org/events/clifton-5k-race.