50 Participate in Chabad’s Chanukah Run-a-Latke

The Chanukah Run-a-Latke in Swampscott, Massachusetts was as much about the latke as it was about the run.

Sunday afternoon’s gathering was ultimately about light — spreading light and hope and goodness, said Rabbi Yossi Lipsker.

The running rabbi spoke to the crowd at the starting line in front of Chabad Lubavitch on Burrill Street.

He then blew into his shofar, a horn, and about 50 men and women lit out on the 3.1-mile run.

The pack stepped from Burrill shade to Humphrey sunlight and continued beyond Fisherman’s Beach and back.

Among them was Rabbi Lipsker.

He started running as a Jewish New Year resolution for health and spirit, said his trainer, Arnon Verd.

The rabbi’s father, who is also a rabbi, came to the event from Philadelphia but not to run in the race.

Rabbi Zalman Lipsker said that according to Jewish sages it is a great thing to run.

“If a person wants to do a good deed, they should run to do a good deed,” he said.

The day, the course, the event was a pre-Chanukah celebration that brought together Jews and non-Jews.

A couple of non-Jews, husband and wife Ron and Katie Cooper of Marblehead, crossed the finsih line first, Ron coming in at about 18 minutes 20 seconds and Katie at 19 minutes 36 seconds.

The Coopers like running road races, said Ron, between bites from a jelly donut.

So does Tom Lynch, who earlier Sunday competed in the Jingle Bell road race in Somerville. When he heard about the latke race he had to do it.

“You’ve got fried potatoes, jelly donuts and gambling with candy — what’s not to like?” he asked.

The event also featured a one-mile kids’ run.

Adam Zamansky, Noah Kaplan, Becah Kaplan and Noah Mann were the first four kids to finish.

Noah Mann, 10, said it was too cold to sweat.

But the shul was nice and warm and so were the latkes.