BILLINGS – Hundreds came out Sunday morning for a run to help the homeless, addicts and those in poverty.
The 10th annual Purple 5K started at Skypoint, after nine years near Grandview Park.
The course headed north toward the hospitals, through Pioneer Park and back downtown to Skypoint.
The Downtown Billings Alliance puts on the Purple 5K as a benefit for its Spare Change for Real Change.
While the race helps others, it’s also a fun run on a Sunday morning.
“My grandma actually loves the color purple,” said Steven Van Steeland, who won the race in 18:26.78. “So I saw this run on runsignup.com, so I was like grandma, we’ve got to do it. So we both signed up for it. I love 5ks. They’re so fun. Running is awesome. You can do it for the rest of your life and have so much fun with it. Great stress reliever. Just, I love it. I feel pretty good. It got kind of windy, but it was still a really fun race.”
According to Competitive Timing, 330 runners participated in the Purple 5K.
Over the last nine years, Spare Change for Real Change has raised more than $115,000.
