MATTAPOISETT — Nearly 200 runners dressed in Santa suits made their way through the Center of Mattapoisett on Saturday afternoon for the first annual Mattapoisett Santa Run 5K.

The event was organized by  former Boston Marathon winner, and Olympian Geoffrey Smith. The race previously took place in New Bedford, but Smith  said he changed location this year because “numbers were going down in New Bedford, and I live here in Mattapoisett.”

Fernando Silveira, of Pawtucket Rhode Island, won the race by a wide margin with a time of 18:53. The 43-year-old also ran in the New York Marathon and Philadelphia half-marathon this year

He said that the Santa suit added to the difficulty of the race because it didn’t allow for much room to stretch, and “it was pretty warm” while running in it, despite the December weather.

TJ Hughes placed second with a time of 21:36, and Zachary Falcon placed third at 21:49.

Pauline Entine, of Dartmouth was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 25:13 followed by Mattapoisett’s Allison Beaulieu, and Newport’s Emilia Lee at 26:01 and 26:22 respectively.

Helen Muller won the women aged 60 to 69 division with a time of 30:16. She said that the race “lends itself to the festivity of the season” and that she ran a few times before when it was in New Bedford. She added that the new course that passes by Ned’s Point and the Mattapoisett waterfront is “much prettier” than the previous location.

Before the adult santas took off for their 5K race, kids competed in a half-mile run. Grayson Eames, 7 (and a half) of Marion was the first boy to cross the finish line, and Leah Blake, 9, of New Bedford was the girls’ winner.

The kids’ race wasn’t enough for 5-year-old Luke Bienz. He chose to run the full-length Santa Run with his father Scott, and finished with a time of 44:37. 

“Im very proud of him, he loves to run, our whole family loves to run,” his father said.

Scott Bienz added that Luke ran in a couple kids races before, and had been wanting an opportunity to run alongside the adults.

Proceeds from the Santa Run went to benefit the American Legion.