TOLEDO, Ohio — Perrysburg's Donut Dash is one of the first area runs of the year and is a themed four-mile race to prepare runners for longer races later in the year.
Dawn Dupler, a member of the Toledo Roadrunners Club, kicked off the past eight new years with the Donut Dash.
"I joined running when I was about 40 years old and I've been running for about 13 years," Dupler said. "It's a good way to stay healthy, it's a good way to meet new people and just have a lot of fun and dress up."
But on Sunday, she sponsored the dash for the first time by providing the donuts.
Although the race is about predicting when you'll finish, everyone gets to run at their own pace. No time is too slow, and no time is too fast.
"We are all about the comradery of being together and enjoying ourselves," Dupler said.
For those who missed the Donut Dash, the Roadrunners Club has a schedule of races out to February. The group organizes 24 races throughout the year, along with fun runs and group runs, club president Terri Kirtos said.
The organization's two premier annual runs are the Glass City Marathon in April and the Churchill's Half Marathon in November.
Kirtos enjoys running because it brings people together and promotes healthy lifestyles.
"We like to keep people active," she said. "We accept everybody: all runners, all walkers, it doesn't matter your pace. People bring kids, people bring dogs and we like to promote fitness in the community."
Kirtos said membership in the Roadrunners Club isn't required to participate in the runs.
The next club race are the Cookie Crumble five and 10-mile runs on Feb. 4 at 8 a.m. A location has not been announced yet.