Paly athletes and student volunteers spent their Friday night at Palo Alto Weekly’s Moonlight Run & Walk, an annual event that has yet again proven to be a local success in its 24th year.

The electric atmosphere at the Baylands Athletic Center was one of fun-filled excitement as runners and walkers of all ages and backgrounds crowded behind the start line next to the Athletic Center field. Many were experienced runners, this year being their fifth or sixth consecutive year participating in the Moonlight Run, but there were also individuals new to running and high school athletes who were running in a public event for their first time.

“I’ve never done this before and I’m nervous, but this is going to be a lot of fun,” Paly cross country runner junior Caroline Wang said before the 5K run. “I really want to find out what my time would be for a race of this length.”

Both the 10K and 5K races saw outstanding attendance and performances from Paly runners even though the Moonlight Run was not a team event. In the 10K, junior Philip MacQuitty finished in 37 minutes, 12 seconds, placing third in the 13-19 boys’ division and sixth out of 920 male 10k runners overall. Senior Skyler Cummins and junior Ben Sklaroff finished fourth and fifth in the division (twelfth and fifteenth overall), while junior Peter Wilson and senior Colin Schmitt placed 26th and 27th overall and seventh and eighth in their division, respectively.

In the women’s 10K, senior Elizabeth Scott finished in 41:46, placing first in the 13-19 girls’ division. Juniors Regina Wang, Natasha Haris, and Abby LaPier took fourth, fifth, and sixth in the division.

“I loved the run; it was great,” Haris said. “Plus a lot of people from cross country ran.”

Juniors Kathleen Higgins and Henry Jordan were both division winners, with Higgins running the 5K in 22:09, followed by seniors Sarah Haydock and Melanie Maemura. Jordan won the 5K 13-19 boys’ division and placed fourth overall out of 840 runners, finishing in 17:04. Junior Andrew Stober, senior Erik Klingbeil, and junior Varun Kohli placed third, fourth, and sixth in Jordan’s same division.

Both the 10K and 5K courses began at the Athletic Center, then parted ways in separate loops around the marshlands and local airport before finally intersecting in the last stretch of the course.

While runners and walkers were out on the course, sponsor organizations like the Palo Alto Weekly, AutoWorks, and the Stanford Blood Center set up booths on the Baylands’ grass. Paly’s Key Club was among the large group of volunteers stationed at the parking lot, finish line, and at several points along the 5K and 10K courses. Many of the Paly Key Club’s 19 members who attended the Moonlight Run helped as course monitors, shouting encouragement to passing runners and pointing them in the right direction.

Groups from Castilleja and Gunn and organizations like the Palo Alto Youth Council and the Lifelong Fitness Alliance also had volunteers at the event, which helped to generate a strong sense of community there, according to Paly Key Club President junior Erika Ji.

“It’s really great how there’s a network of volunteers who have met at the same events,” Ji said. “What I personally like most about events like the Moonlight Run is the chance to see many different people I know from the community.”

Volunteers like Ji also support the service and health that the Moonlight Run promotes.

“All of the proceeds go to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, which benefits nonprofit organizations in Palo Alto,” Ji said. “Runs also promote a healthy community. So, in general, I think that events like the Moonlight Run are wonderful for the community.”

Ji’s opinion of events like the Moonlight Run seems widely shared by those who attended the event, including local runners.

“The run really heightened my sense of community,” Maemura said. “I really enjoyed it.”