Approximately 200 runners and hikers, some with their dogs, participated in the Lancaster Group of the Sierra Club's 13th annual Polar Bear 5K Trail Run/Hike, Bring the Dog, held in Lancaster County Central Park on Jan. 15. It was the Group's first in-person race in two years due to the pandemic.

Eric Resch, Lititz; Paul Davey, Lancaster; and Thomas Begin, Lancaster, finished first, second and third in the race with times of 20 minutes, 10 seconds; 20:17; and 21:10, respectively. The top three finishers among women were Angela Coco of York, 21:46; Ashlee Whitmoyer of Reading, 22:18; and Rachel Bitner of Lancaster, 24:20. The first three dogs to cross the finish line with their owners were Abby with Angela Coco; Kipper with Ashlee Whitmoyer; and Sim with Frank and Audra Lyons of Kunkletown.

Two hundred five runners and hikers and 46 dogs were registered for the race. Approximately 70 volunteers were on hand to handle race-day activities, as well as many spectators who cheered on the participants.

Money raised by the Polar Bear 5K supports the Sierra Club - Lancaster Group's local efforts to ease climate change, the reason polar bears and other creatures are at risk of extinction. The funds help finance the local organization's "green project" grant program, which has awarded grants of up to $500 to 71 Lancaster County organizations over the past seven years, as well as its free-to-the-public year-round outdoor activities and educational programs.