Ugly Sweater Run goes on this year

The Ugly Sweater 5K in Utica went on in Utica this year, following COVID safety guidelines.

Mills.

News channel two's gary liberatore takes us to this year's colorful....ugly sweater 5-k.

(nat of christmas music) with santa and the grinch working...together..

..this year's utica ugly sweater 5k....went off without a hitch...even during covid.

(bill smith, utica resident) .

None .

None tc : 06:28 "that is some sweater....vest....right?

Thank you, thank you, this i believe was handmade somewhere in south america ive worn it for three years now and this event and is it enough to keep you warm& no not at all.

The mandatory masks helped keep people warm.

(santa claus, north pole resident) tc : 04:22 "even santa has a mask on under there, even santa has a mask& its tough this year, you dont wanna get sick, santa needs to be safe too...."

In the ((year(( of covid...here in oneida county ...this (((week(((....we are seeing the highe vid mbers in our ea that we'veseen o acally have a le race.

Nowtheyro they caneep within theguidelined everything."

So how did theracee grinch pull this off?

(the grinch, aka mike samoraj, race director, utic augly sweater 5k) tc : 03:18 "the grinch really had to work his mind, went down to hornville, who you, did some studying, came up with a plan, doing it in waves, everybody wears a mask."

So just like other races around the state in recent weeks, everyone wears a mask....and with 250 people signed up...that meant five different groups took to the start lines, 15 minutes apart so that each group only cosisted of 40- to-50 runners.

These runners believe these two guidelines will keep people safe, especially outdoors.

(gary burek, new hartford resident) tc : 01:31 "they've been doin races for several months and the system's been working."

And runners and non-runners alike are hoping the state's guidelines don't change for the worse again like they did in march....shutting everything down again, but some admit it is a distinct possibility.

(jennifer toti, norwich resident) tc : 10:07 "i can if people are not compliant, if people dont wear their masks and people dont say safe, i can easily see it spiraling ain and imin tw york mills, gary liberatore, news channel 2.> still to come after the break, they fought for our freedoms, we fill their cupboards.

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