Visualize the most tasteless, ugliest Christmas sweaters you can. Then think of them being donned by runners traversing a challenging course.

If you can imagine that, you've got a pretty good handle on what the Ugly Sweater XC 5K run and 1-mile fun run is. It's about having fun and raising money for the Manheim Township High School cross-country (XC) program.

Sponsored by the Manheim Township cross-country booster club, the Ugly Sweater 5K run will be contested on Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Landis Run Intermediate School, 25 Blue Streak Blvd., Lancaster. Participants are asked to donate canned food items or finances to the Power Packs Project, while proceeds from the run will benefit the Manheim Township cross-country program.

"I'd say that more than half of the runners will be wearing ugly sweaters," said Mike Phillips, race director for the event and an assistant junior high coach for the Manheim Township cross-country program. "It's a sight to see. It's crazy how ugly they get, the kind that grandma thought was cool or some with reindeer on them. There's another class of them that involves a manufacturer going all out to make them as ugly as possible. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing one in public."

On the day of the event, registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and awards will be presented around 10:45 a.m. The atmosphere of the event will be enhanced by holiday music, hot chocolate, soup and cookies.

Parts of the course will be decorated with Christmas packages, tinsel, lighting and snowflakes. More than 300 participants are expected, and the proceeds will help fund Manheim Township cross-country team-building events, competition costs and gear and supplies for student-athletes in need.

"This is a lot more than a run," said Phillips. "This is an outdoor community event available to families in December. You can enjoy the outdoors and spend time together as a family. Some people want to kick off the holiday season with a run. There's a wooded area on the course, and when you go down in that area it's kind of like a winter wonderland."

"The money we make, we need to reinvest it into the kids," added Phillips. "We could do other fundraisers and they would be a lot less work. This is about getting kids excited about running. There are plenty of youth sports out there, but there aren't really ways to get (children) introduced to the sport we love, and hopefully hook them."

The event started as the Lancaster County Cross Country 5K about 15 years ago. In 2017, the ugly sweaters were introduced as a way to spruce it up.

"Manheim Township is in a really unique position because we're really gaining traction as a cross-country program," said Phillips. "This year, both the boys and girls won leagues (Lancaster-Lebanon championships). We're having success because the kids are having a good time. The program is strong and getting stronger because of the community we have."

For more information about the Ugly Sweater XC 5K or to register, go to http://www.lancastercountyxc5k.com.