ATHOL — Waking up to raw temperatures, rain and 2-3 inches of snow on the ground failed to deter many who signed up to run in the annual Big Cheese 5K, which has become a big part of River Rat Race weekend.

Of the more than 250 people who had signed up to run, nearly 150 braved the elements to take part.

Athol’s Jamie Kennedy finished first overall, clocking in with a time of 19:28. Bent over, with his hands on his knees, an out-of-breath Kennedy said, “I was born in St. John, the Virgin Islands, grew up in Boston, and just moved to Athol. I really don’t mind running in this kind of weather, and I wanted to run well in my new hometown.”

Mike Babineau, also from Athol, wasn’t far behind Kennedy, crossing the finish line with a time of 19:30. Orange’s Cameron Woodcock finished third overall with a time of 19:48.

The first woman to complete the rain-soaked race was Katie Babineau of Athol, who finished at 22:29. Second place for the women went to Lily Celata of Baldwinville, with a time of 24:25. Kelsey Cass of Athol crossed the line at 25:04.

Before the race, Kane Celata of Baldwinville, running his third Big Cheese, was asked what motivated him to come out for a run on such a cold, dreary morning.

“A little snow never hurt anybody,” he said. “Just run it, have fun, do your best — that’s all you have to take out of it, you know.”

The race was a sort of family affair for the Celatas. In addition to Kane, Joe, Tallulah and Lily Celata also competed.

Couple Jeff and Crystal Pratt of Orange also took part in Saturday’s 5K. Jeff said he had run it before, while Crystal said this would be her first time in the Big Cheese. Both said they, too, were undeterred by the weather.

“Well, you sign up, you train,” said Crystal Pratt. “For me, I just started training about a month ago. There are no excuses to not show up for training, so there are no excuses to not show up for this.”

While he has run for a number of years, Jeff Pratt said he hadn’t run a race since before the pandemic.

“I started in my 40s and kind of liked it,” he said.

Carla Halpern of New Salem brought a little whimsy to the race, dressed as Glenda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

“This is my first Big Cheese,” she said. “My first race was the Great Muffin Race in 2005.”

Sponsored by the Athol Area YMCA, the Great Muffin Race raised funds for cancer survivors.

“Since I’ve never done the Big Cheese, I decided it was about time. This isn’t bad weather for a race,” she exclaimed with a smile. “This is perfect. It’s a beautiful day.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.