By Sarah Light, staff writer

Some ran. Some walked. And others pushed strollers.

But no matter how they completed the race, all participants in the first ever Tiger Trot starting at the Brookside Education Center Saturday morning were eager to finish the three mile course to help raise money for Southwest Middle School.

The event, which was said by organizers to have about 205 participants, was held in conjunction with the Albert Lea Family Y&8217;s annual Fountain Lake Five, which was said to have had about 30 runners.

Tiger Trot Organizer Wendy Greenfield, an eighth grade geography teacher at Southwest, said the race was organized to help fill in the gaps in funding for the school.

&8220;We got to talking about that and decided this might be a good option &8212; while also incorporating the goal of healthy living,&8221; Greenfield said.

All funds raised will go toward the Southwest student account, which helps pay for the Guthrie theater trip, the Courage Retreat, exploratory opportunities, field trip transportation, end of the quarter parties and several other activities.

The race wound through residential streets and ended back near the starting line at Brookside.

&8220;I think this is a great idea,&8221; said Southwest Middle School teacher Sara Kirsch, a peer educator for seventh and eighth grade students. &8220;It brings the community together with the school.&8221;

Kirsch, who walked the race as she pushed her 14-month-old child in a stroller, said she decided to participate in the event to support the students and the school. She was one of several parents who completed the race while toting a child in a stroller.

Thirteen-year-old Erin Everhard said she chose to participate in the event because it sounded like something fun to do with her friends. Her tactic for the race, she said, was to run as long as she could and then walk some.

Eighth-grade student Ashley Freithe said she got involved with the fundraiser because she had signed up to help plan it.

&8220;I&8217;m in track, and it will help me in my meet on Monday,&8221; she added. &8220;I think this is a really good fundraiser, and it raises a lot of money.&8221;

And it&8217;s much better than selling pizzas, she noted.

Organizers said they hope the event will only continue to grow in the coming years.

&8220;Putting on a race is harder than it seems,&8221; Greenfield said. &8220;It&8217;s a good learning process for us. We&8217;re looking forward to future years.&8221;

She said the school will have an estimate on Monday after all the pledges have been turned in as to how much money the event raised.

Dennis Dieser, executive director at the Y, said he was very pleased with the events, and especially to see the number of students who showed up to run.

&8220;It was nice to see the collaboration with the school and the Y,&8221; Dieser said. &8220;It was just a great turnout of people running.&8221;