RICHMOND, Va. -- The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k was filled with emotion for so many people as onlookers saw tears, cheers and everything in between Saturday morning in Richmond.
From the start of the raceto the finish line, runners made a point of talking about the energy of the crowd.
“It was electric. I can’t even put it into words,” Tony McDaniel said.
RELATED: Highlights from 2022 Monument Avenue 10k
The winner of the race in the men's category, Brody Smith, said he has never seen a crowd with this level of energy.
Others said that energy from the crowd helped them get to the finish line.
Sports Backers officials said roughly 18,000 people took part in the race.
Sports Backers Chief Strategic Implementation Officer Scott Schricker said it was hard to fathom that it has
been three years since the pandemic forced the race to change course.
“The weather is perfect, the crowds are amazing," he said. "It’s a wonderful day for Richmond.”
Some folks came in costume, anything from dressing as superheros, to M&M’s to even a house.
Others focused on conquering a milestone or were running for a cause.
The VCU Massey Cancer Center is the official charitable partner for the race.
Dr. Robert Winn, the center's director, said seeing folks at the finish line gets him jazzed.
“It’s a run for the fight against cancer. Every single dollar and cent goes into how we can improve researching cancer,” he said.
Winn said it is all about running as one team in the fight against cancer.
As of Saturday afternoon, the organization had raised more than $93,000 from the event, according to the Team Massey website.
At this race, folks said it was a celebration of big and small wins and the whys of people are out here.
“To see people cross the finish line, people who never thought they could do this — or never thought they could run so fast — or are overcoming injury or cancer. It gives me goosebumps,” Schricker said.
