Phillies Charities 5K in-person race returns for first time in 3 years – CBS Philly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — For the first time in three years, runners competed in the Phillies Charities 5K on Saturday in person. Over 3,000 runners took part in the race.

The Phanatic led the field, but it was Shane Holcomb who beat them to the finish line. His time: 17 minutes, 22 seconds.

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“I haven’t raced in a few years since COVID so it’s just nice to come back here and run a fast time and be with everyone, it’s great,” Holcomb said.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 race was canceled and the 2021 race was held virtually.

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“We’re very, very excited to finally be back in person and not doing it virtually and submitting our results, so we’re excited to race together in person,” said Lauren McNelis.

McNelis ran the race with his father, Frank. They are training for the Broad Street Run. Anthony Havens also raced with his dad, but not necessarily because he wanted to.

The race coincides with the start of the baseball season. The home opener is April 8 against the Oakland Athletics. All runners got four tickets to a game in April, but it’s a benefit race with money going to local nonprofits.

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“At the end of the year, we select nonprofits in the Philadelphia area and donate $10,000 to each,” said Mary Ann Moyer.