More than 150 local residents gathered at the Park at Riverwalk at 8 a.m. on Oct. 28 to participate in the Haunted Hustle, a 5k marathon hosted by Super Fly Running, which raises money for cancer research.

Participants ranging from toddlers to seniors donned their Halloween costumes while running the course, which circled the perimeter of the Park at Riverwalk on Stockdale Highway.

As participants completed the marathon, they were met with a celebratory burst of smoke from a fog machine and given a token of completion and a bottle of water by volunteers. Breanna Ludwick, a volunteer from Frontier High School and founder of Frontier’s Uplift Club, a club that focuses on spreading kindness through volunteer work and fundraising for charities, said that the event was a lot of fun, and that the best part was watching families do something fun and healthy together.

Coworkers Toni Ronquillo, Ashley Lee, and Scharline Rojas all participated in the 5k marathon together. It was the first 5k any of them had ever participated in and they all agreed that even though it was difficult, all three of them planned to participate in more 5ks in the future. “It’s fulfilling to wake up early and do something, instead of hanging out on the couch all day,” said Lee.

The final runner crossed the finish line shortly after 10:30 a.m., but many of the participants hung around after the marathon to take photos and enjoy a mix of Halloween music.