Runners get kooky on Super Bowl Sunday

The Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K, which honors a beach side statue of a surfer that locals love to hate - and decorate - was held in Encinitas Sunday morning.

ENCINITAS Running a race in costume on Super Bowl Sunday might sound kooky, and thats exactly what organizers of the Cardiff Kook Run were going for.

For the third year in a row, thousands of runners gathered for the 5K and 10K races that celebrate Cardiffs iconic Magic Carpet Ride statue near San Elijo State Beach. The featured surfer was derided for what veteran surfers recognized as an inexperienced, if not goofy, stance, and the statue was dubbed the Cardiff Kook soon after its 2007 installation.

Since then it has been regularly festooned in outlandish getups. The costumes range from the simple, like a Santa Clause outfit, to the elaborate, including a full-blown prehistoric backdrop featuring a giant pterodactyl in flight. Many participants of the 5K and some especially dedicated 10kers donned costumes in honor of the tradition.

The Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K, which honors a beach side statue of a surfer that locals love to hate - and decorate - was held in Encinitas Sunday morning. Jamie Scott Lyle

About 2400 runners ran in the Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K, with many dressed in wacky costumes. There were prizes for the fastest runners in each age divisions as well as best costumes. Jamie Scott Lyle

The elite runnerss head up the pack of the 10K run of the Cardiff Kook run. Jamie Scott Lyle

Brent Fredrickson and Melissa Dant run in the Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K. Jamie Scott Lyle

Marc Posthumus, dressed as an Indian, points the way with his tomahawk during the Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K. Jamie Scott Lyle

Okwaro Raura, winner of the 10K of the Cardiff Kook Run 10K & 5K. Jamie Scott Lyle

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Runners get kooky on Super Bowl Sunday