Genevieve Perry started running at 71 and a half years old.

“My cousin wanted me to sign up,” she said. “So, we started doing 5Ks. Then, he wanted to do 10Ks.”

Perry, now 77, was one of the hundred participants in the 36th annual Snowflake Derby.

Dressed in a pink visor and a pink jacket, Perry finished the 4K with a time of 29:09.

“I didn’t even mean to do this race,” Perry said. “It was last minute.”

This year was the fourth time she ran the Snowflake Derby.

“The first time, I fell down three times,” Perry said. “The second time, I fell down four times! Last year, the people in front of me walked down the hill, and I did it too, and I didn’t fall.”

Saturday was high of 57, but got cold once the clouds came out and covered the sun.

But Perry said she prefers that weather than the summer.

“I get too hot in the summer,” she said.

Nicki Willis also fancies running in the colder weather.

“This is the best weather to run in,” she said. “It’s a little colder than last year, but that’s OK.”

Willis, who is a USI alumnae, began running after she had her children.

“I wanted to try running and get into shape,” she said. “Now I love races and I do full marathons.”

Evansville resident Bill Noll started attending the Snowflake Derby in 1984, and he has the running cap with a fluffy ball to prove it.

“It’s not really the best for aerodynamics,” the 65-year-old said.

Running has become second nature to Noll.

“It’s a way of life,” he said. “You just kind of do it.”