Wheaton Reindeer Run raising money for Ronald McDonald House

Driving around to look at light displays, baking and decorating cookies from Grandma's recipe, exchanging gifts chosen just for each loved one, feeling the spirit of the season during a candlelight service.

Holiday traditions are built around sharing time with family.

This year, families will be taking part in one of Wheaton's newer holiday traditions knowing they're helping to keep parents and children together through the toughest times. The third annual Reindeer Run and Walk — a 5K through downtown Wheaton — raises money to support the Ronald McDonald House opening in January near Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.

The race will step off at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 from near the DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m.

By running or walking, participants are contributing to the setup and operation of the house where families will be able to stay for as little as $10 a night while their children are treated at Central DuPage, Delnor Hospital in Geneva or the ProCure Treatment Center in Warrenville. Keeping families together and near their ill children allows them to focus on the child, the treatment and the recovery.

Organized by the Wheaton Lions Club with the Wheaton Park District, the Reindeer Run is quickly becoming a holiday tradition for families eager to celebrate the season with a healthful and charitable activity. A portion of the race proceeds will go to the DuPage County Historical Museum, overseen by the park district, as well as the vision and hearing charities supported by the Lions Club.

For Wheaton Lion Ron Austin's family, the race is already a multigenerational tradition. Today, Austin tells us why he runs and why he'll be taking on the Reindeer Run with his mother and his children.

Ron Austin

Occasionally I get asked, “Why do you run?” It's usually more of a rhetorical question than actual curiosity.

Runners each have their own story as to how they got started and why they continue.

My story started in sixth grade in Woodstock. It was the mid-1970s and the running boom was in full swing. Jim Fixx, author of “The Complete Book of Running,” was a household name.

My mom was about to turn 40 and decided this running craze might be a good thing to try. She started by running to the end of the driveway and back (about 400 feet round trip). She built up her runs until she was could do a half-mile, then two miles and, wow, three miles! Almost from the start, she had her four children jogging as well. Soon we were entering Turkey Trots and other fun runs.

When I was in eighth grade, the whole family, except my dad who exempted himself from our new hobby, ran in the Woodstock Daily Sentinel's eight-mile road race. (Race courses were measured in miles, not kilometers, back then.) I remember very clearly running the whole race with a neighbor, milling around the park after the race, hanging with friends and family.

This camaraderie is a big reason I run. On race day, the energy from the hoopla at the starting line is exhilarating. The atmosphere is friendly and if it's a local event you are bound to see friends and neighbors, probably some of whom you didn't know were runners.

And this is why the Lions' Reindeer Run and Walk is so awesome. The pre- and post-race time is spent chatting with neighbors, co-workers and friends who have signed up. My kids run the race as well. I love to see them talking with friends as well as their cousins and Grandma (yes, my mom still runs!), who got up early to drive from Harvard to run in Wheaton's Reindeer Run.

You'll see all kinds of people at the Lions Reindeer Run — a few elite runners in front, then some serious weekend warriors, grade school kids, and parents pushing strollers. You'd be hard-pressed to find any of them not having a great time.

The run isn't just about those few moments of glory after the end of the race, whether you have won or beaten anyone else. It's about your experience — the camaraderie, swapping stories and grabbing breakfast with friends before you head back to your holiday preparations.

Some might feel they are too slow or feel too intimidated to enter a 5K. No one says you have to run. You can register to walk the 3.1 miles and have just as much fun.

If you still aren't sure the Reindeer Run is for you, please sign up as a volunteer. It can be as much fun handing out water while cheering on the runners as it is to run. Call Terri Lightbody at (630) 580-5777 to volunteer.

If you go

What: Reindeer Run and Walk 5K, organized by Wheaton Lions Club and Wheaton Park District

Why: Proceeds support the Ronald McDonald House near Central DuPage Hospital, the DuPage County Historical Museum, and the vision and hearing charities of the Lions Club

When: Race begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6; on-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m.

Where: From the DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton

Cost: $30 for individuals; $25 per person for teams of four or more

Info: active.com, search for “Wheaton Reindeer Run”