A steady Christmas Eve rain did little to slow the crowd of Santa-suited runners who turned out in Mobile for one of the city’s most beloved holiday traditions, which this year set new records for both turnout and fundraising.
The 13th annual Santa Run, organized by Carpe Diem Coffee and Tea Co., drew more than 500 registered participants and raised over $15,000, the highest totals in the event’s history. The morning festivities went ahead despite the damp weather, with runners lining up in red and white to weave through the neighborhood around the popular midtown coffee shop.
This year’s proceeds were dedicated to a cause close to the Carpe Diem family. The money will help support Cindy Hoobler Brouillette, a longtime employee of the shop who is undergoing treatment for cancer. Her connection to the run was reflected in the event’s keepsake: the 2014 commemorative T-shirt features a friendly caricature of Brouillette.
That artwork was drawn by Dr. Dave Mayer, the husband of Tomi Sue Rusling Mayer, who formerly owned Carpe Diem. More than 200 of the shirts were sold. Organizers said the adult sizes had sold out, though youth sizes remained available at the shop for anyone hoping to pick one up after the race.
The Santa Run carries a deeper meaning beyond the holiday cheer and the fun run atmosphere. It is held each year in memory of Van Rusling, Tomi Sue Rusling Mayer’s late husband, who died in 2005 after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. What began as a tribute has grown into an annual gathering that blends remembrance with community generosity, channeling the goodwill of the season toward neighbors in need.
The shop, a familiar fixture in Mobile’s coffee scene, kept its normal holiday hours around the event, closing at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve before reopening the morning after Christmas. Year after year, the run has become a fixture on the local December calendar, giving residents a lighthearted way to lace up, dress in costume and give back during the holidays.
With record participation and its biggest fundraising haul yet, the 2014 edition underscored how a small coffee shop tradition has become a genuine community event, one that draws hundreds together each Christmas Eve in support of one of their own.