EDWARDSBURG — A drizzling of light rain fell Saturday morning, but that did not stop dozens of local runners from participating in the fourth annual Run Eddie Run 5K.

Seventy five of 97 registered runners showed up to the event that took place throughout the Edwardsburg High School and Middle School campus. The race is hosted by the Edwardsburg Public Schools Foundation, which raises money to fund its scholarships and classroom grants.

“It’s a wonderful event,” said Debbie Cripe, the Edwardsburg Public Schools chairperson. “A lot of the community comes, and then we get some people outside of Edwardsburg. It’s a great race.”

The race began at 8 a.m., as runners darted from the back of the school, across the parking lot and all over grass portions of the campus before crossing the finish line on the football field track.

The first runner to cross was Cassopolis resident Deric Poorman, with a time of 17:51. He was close behind the pace vehicle for the majority of the race.

“It’s fun following the Gator,” Poorman said. “Then you don’t get lost when you follow the gator. I’ve got a habit of zoning out and going the wrong way. It’s motivation to be in first so you don’t get lost.”

He said that the rain provided perfect running conditions, as it kept him cool and allowed him to run hard. In order to manage the slippery terrain, he wore special shoes.

“These are Spartan racing shoes, so they are rubber cleated,” he said. “I knew it was going to be muddy and a little bit wet and slippery, so I wore these. They are a little bit heavier than what I normally race in, but it worked out well. I’m glad I had these on.”

The first woman to finish was Angela Bronicki, with a time of 20:43. She is a resident of Plymouth, Indiana but graduated from Edwardsburg Public Schools in 2007.

“I loved it,” Bronicki said. “My background is cross country, so it was great to have something that was half road race and half a trail race. It was really fun to be back in my hometown too. This is like where we ran trail, where I had my middle school practices in track and field.”

She has won the event every year since it started.

“I always know that there’s a lot of talent out there,” Bronicki said. “That there’s a possibility that I won’t win. The first time that I won, that was the first time I won a road race in general. So, it’s just a fun challenge to see if I can do it again, and it’s exciting to attempt it.”

The top 10 overall and age division winners can be found on leaderpub.com