At the Manheim Township Cross-Country Booster Club's upcoming fundraiser, ugliness is a pursuit.

Ugliness is a prestige thing, sort of a badge of honor. Ugliness is a form of self-expression. Ugliness is rewarded.

"Ugliness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder," said Paul McGahren, one of the organizers of the fundraiser. "You see really bad sweater vests, pajama tops, Christmas hats, garland and battery-operated lights. There are a lot of really bad Christmas outfits. It's interesting to see what it is. We have marshals out on the course who will notice the bib numbers of the ugliest, and we'll award them prizes. It's meant to be light-hearted."

The 17th edition of the annual Ugly Sweater 5K Run/Walk and One-Mile Fun Run will be conducted over the high school/middle school's 3.1-mile cross-county course at Landis Run Intermediate School, 25 Blue Streak Blvd., Lancaster, on Saturday, Dec. 6, beginning at 10 a.m. Runners can register at https://my.raceresult.com/353944/registration prior to the race or in person beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the race.

The 1-mile fun run, designed for kids under 12, will go off at 10:35 a.m. Beginning at 10:45 a.m. in the intermediate school's cafeteria, prizes will be awarded to the 5K's top three male and top three female finishers overall, the top three male and top three female finishers in eight age categories and of course the ugliest sweaters and wardrobe malfunctions.

Water, bananas and pretzels will be available as people are running and at the finish line during the race, and hot chocolate, chicken corn noodle soup, tomato soup and cookies will be served at the awards presentation.

Runners are also encouraged to bring canned or nonperishable food items to donate to Power Packs Project of Lancaster County.

"The feel is the holidays, and the vibe is festive," said McGahren. "We decorate the trail. A lot of families will do it together, and we also get athletes from other sports. There are a lot of athletes running around. We have some serious local runners who enjoy running with the kids. They run it fast. It's competitive if someone wants to make it that way."

What originally started out as a fundraiser has evolved into a community event. More than 300 individuals are expected to support the Ugly Sweater 5K in one form or another.

"People are really passionate about this race; they like to come to it," said McGahren. "People are in a good mood. They'll bring friends and family. You've got people running in the fresh air. Cross-country teammates and runners have this close community; there's just something to it. The kids love the team and their teammates."

The Ugly Sweater 5K serves as the booster club's primary fundraiser, and proceeds from the event go toward making the cross-country experience in the school district more enjoyable. The funds raised are spent on things like trip expenses; entry fees; equipment such as shoes, socks and uniform accessories; event tents; and race hydration.

"It kind of started as a way to wrap up the cross-country season," said McGahren. "The proceeds go toward supplying the cross-country team throughout the year. It keeps running out in front. It keeps a really good atmosphere for the cross-country program and keeps things running."

Currently, there are nearly 160 high school and middle school boys and girls involved with the cross-country program in the Manheim Township School District.

"It's a great program," said McGahren. "The cross-country team here is terrific. To be involved with the program, you just have to love exercise, you just have to love being outside. You have kids who are competitive, and you have kids who are social. It's like any team sport. I don't think people realize the team aspect of cross-country."

During the recently completed fall season, the Manheim Township girls' varsity cross-country team was crowned champion of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, and the boys' varsity squad finished second at the league meet contested at Ephrata in October. Both the boys and girls captured team titles at the District Three Class AAA championships and qualified for the PIAA Class AAA meet as teams.

Individually, at states at Hershey's Parkview Course on Nov. 1, Blue Streak senior Georgia Ealy finished 22nd and Blue Streak junior Ben Doumaux came in 22nd to earn PIAA medals.