The Running of the Balls

Just to give a sense how cool it looks. From the event Facebook page, 2012.

It all started with a craft idea over a decade ago. The daughter of a Greensboro couple saw a guide to making a ball with lights and with her father’s help made a few and put them up in a tree in their yard at Christmas time. They noticed cars stopping to look at them, and the next year they made more. 

Then the neighbors joined in and soon the entire neighborhood would be adorned every December with thousands of light balls suspended in the high trees. It is a magical sight to behold. Even more magical was the decision to use the occasion to raise money and food for a local food pantry, Collection spots were put up around the neighborhood and as people drove through looking at the amazing display, they had multiple opportunities to donate. 

And then the idea to have a 5k run under the lights was born and the Running of the Balls became an annual event. It attracts thousands of runners every year, from all over the globe and raises tens of thousands of dollars for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

I’ve partaken in the run the past five years in some form. It occurs in December so you never really know what kind of weather you’ll get. The first time I signed up, there was snow and ice on the ground so I opted to walk instead of run. The next year I was injured and it was sub-freezing so we did a short walk instead of running. In 2019 the footing was dicey, so I walked again.

2020 was, well, you know. The still held the race, but as a virtual event. I ran (for the first time actually ran) with my sister and niece and brother in law on a night that worked for all of us. No crowds, and we only ran a mile or so because it was very cold. They still raised a lot of money that year, and people took photos and video of themselves running all over the world. Very cool.

This year it was back, and had thousands of people signed up again. The weather was in the 70s all day, and dropped into the 60s for the race. It would have been perfect except a storm blew through and the start had to be delayed. The wet kept some people away, so the crowd was smallish. But I ran the whole race this time, along with my niece, her friend and my brother-in-law. It was quite fun, and very encouraging for me to run that far again on my knee. 

It is a magical run, with people dressed up, spectators in their yards yelling encouragement, the light balls illuminating the path and a festive spirit all around. 

I had trouble walking the next day, but recovered fairly quickly all things considered. I look forward to next year. Maybe I’ll see you out there?