Hot Springs cross-country runner Elena McAllister held a 5K race at her family’s ranch last weekend to help raise funds for her upcoming trip to Australia to compete in the Gold Coast Marathon.

Though the weather looked a little gloomy, it was great running weather to take to the hills of the Whiskey Trail Ranch in Hot Springs. Along with the 5K there was also a 1-mile fun run that a few runners took advantage of.

“It seems like everyone had a great time. Elena’s track and cross-country coach and her husband ran, as well as the principal from Hot Springs Elementary school,” said Elena’s mother Tammy McAllister.

McAllister said the community has been extremely supportive and Elena is excited about her upcoming trip.

“She will be reporting back in July with tons of pictures and great stories to tell,” added McAllister.

Elena raised close to $1,000 from the run and now has less than $1,000 left to raise out of the $6,500 total for her trip to Australia.

There were plenty of local runners as well as some out-of-towners at the weekend’s 5k.

Celia Bertoia and Kyle Klickir, who came from Bozeman, said they found out about the local fun run through an online search.

“We thought it was a great excuse to come down and visit some friends,” said Klickir.

Both Bertoia and Klickir said that they were impressed with the scenery of the ranch and were looking forward to hitting the trails.

The 5k track started at the homestead then moved through some hills before returning to the finish line.

The 1-mile run headed back up the driveway toward the front gates, then hooked across a small hay field before meeting up on the road back down to the finish line.

“We’re just happy to be here. We won’t be the fastest but we wanted to join in on the fun,” said Todd Schmidt of Georgetown Lake.

McAllister said they had 30 runners per-register for the run, with a few more who turned up on the day.

“We had 35 runners and walkers total,” said McAllister.

Ronan eighth-grader Kylee Neimeyer won the women’s 5k with a time of 29:00. Neimeyer is also was a member of her middle school cross-country team and runs on the middle school track team.

Klickir was the winner of the men’s 5k with a time of 24:10.

The 5k course had an elevation gain of 481 feet, while the 1-mile was on flat ground.

“Even with the elevation gain, the runners loved the course and they enjoyed the wildlife. There were some elk up on the ridge watching the runners. We really enjoyed meeting some new people from the area,” said McAllister.