SANFORD — A group of ghostly runners took to the woods on Saturday, competing in costume at the Sanford-Springvale YMCA’s second annual “Spooky Sprint.”

Participants came in droves, dressed to the nines in Halloween garb, despite a powerful rainstorm that showed no sign of letting up.

“It’s only water,” said the YMCA’s Chief Executive Officer Andy Orazio. “Any day outside with all the costumes and the energy from the crowd lifts all our spirits. It’s a great time here.”

The YMCA has sponsored a 5K race every year for the past 10 years, but this is only the second year the center has hosted a Halloween-themed sprint. Last year saw 120 costumed participants, a record number, ran the race.

Funds raised through runner registrations support the Y’s scholarship program, said Kristie Hurlburt, the center’s marketing director.

According to Hurlburt, the Y gives out about $130,000 in scholarships annually. The money funds before- and after-care programs for about 350 children, she said, and another 450 families receive financial support of some kind.

But the event was more than just a fundraiser, Hurlburt said. Rather, it was an exercise in community and familial bonding.

“In the Sanford community there’s a real group of runners, and you see their kids starting to get into it, and they’re running. It’s more families that are coming to run with us,” she said. “This kind of shows we see more families doing this race and that’s kind of evolved with the Y.”

Hurlburt said the Y, which celebrated its 75th birthday this weekend, changes its programming each year to match the community’s interests.

“We evolve with our community depending on what the needs are. We kind of mirror the need of our community,” Hurlburt said. “When (the YMCA) started in Sanford it was about the young adults and now it has evolved to we’re looking at the family as a whole.”

Hurlburt said the 5K race, which is held annually, was changed to a Spooky Sprint to encourage more families to participate, and join in the fun they did.

About a dozen children took part in the annual Kids Fun Run, held before the sprint. Several young superheroes, pumpkins and princesses darted down the trails behind the YMCA center, cheering with joy as they went.

Those in attendance said the fun run and the 5K race were great ways to get active and have a good time.

“We live in Sanford and we love running and we love the Y, so this is a fun thing to do,” said Kate Stimmell, who attended the event with her two children, Jackson and Annalise, who were out of breath from the fun run. “There’s just a great community of runners at all ages, I think that’s nice. It’s a really supportive community and I think it’s great.”

Stimmell said the event was a welcome addition to the Halloween weekend, because it was a good way to “burn off all that candy,” as Jackson said.

“It’s actually nice to have something healthy to do on Halloween weekend because there’s a lot of delicious candy that’s not so healthy,” Stimmell said. “It’s also a fun way to show off our costumes.

It’s just a fun way to do things.”

The YMCA has become an integral part of the Sanford community over the past 75 years, so much so that the center is currently undergoing a $4 million expansion to accommodate more members and expand its services.

The center has raised about $2.6 million in community donations, and only needs $1.4 million more to complete the project, which will increase the Y’s space from 26,000 square feet to 48,000 square feet.

Organizers of the Spooky Sprint said they were thrilled to see such a great turnout at the race, despite the inclement weather. Orazio, dressed as a doctor “in case of emergency,” said the participation was just another example of Sanford’s commitment to community support.

“This is just amazing. It’s just a testament to the incredible culture of the Sanford local community,” Orazio said. “It’s just been a tremendous opportunity to be part of this community.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].