Runners get into Halloween spirit at Running of the Squares 5K

A returning competitor placed first in the latest Brownwood edition of the Running of the Squares 5K.

Albano Dos Reis raced ahead of about 700 participants Saturday morning to secure his third win in The Villages since moving from Brazil to Ocala. He crossed the finish line with a time of 16:44, over half a minute faster than at the Spanish Springs 5K in April. He beat 16-year-old Nate Burton of Oxford by the same margin.

Albano Dos Reis crosses the finish line.

At 54 years old, Reis has competed in running competitions for about 40 years. He practices in The Villages on Sundays to keep up with his hobby that has earned him a wall full of medals and plaques.

He stated that he loves to run, and it is a stress reliever compared to his job at an equestrian center in Ocala.

Many of the runners in the race were wearing costumes.

The overall female winner, 17-year-old Katherine Probola of Oxford, finished the race with a time of 21:37. Seventeen-year-old Alexis Hume of Leesburg, her friend and fellow member of The Villages Charter School Cross Country Team, followed just 14 seconds later. The pair was among many students dressed in costumes as part of the winning team.

Alexis Hume dressed as milk and Katherine Probola was a cookie. — Alexis Hume was dressed as milk and Katherine Probola was a cookie.

“The best part was getting to run with Milk (Hume), my best friend,” said Probola.

There to cheer on the hundreds of contenders was The Villages Cheerleaders, a group of about 80 senior women who have volunteered to perform at several races in the past. A fourth of the group stood on either side of the designated street and shook their pompoms in encouragement as racers both began and finished the 5K.