The beloved Fat A 5K event in Springfield is underway, but it almost didn't happen this year due to financial concerns. In previous years, organizers were responsible for covering police overtime pay. However, Assistant Chief Joe Behl of the Springfield Police Department confirmed that this year, the city is covering those costs.

"Events like, you know, the Fat 5K are less intensive as manpower is concerned, but we still do man that appropriately with the appropriate manpower and, you know, and equipment as needed," said Behl.

The city’s decision to cover the extra payroll costs has been a relief for the event organizers. Kim Johnson, one of the organizers, expressed gratitude for the city's support.

"We had a meeting with the city in early April, and they told us that they were gonna foot the bill of a lot of our bigger costs in order to help us, not just us, other downtown events this year, which is huge because the city's support of us is the best," said Johnson.

Johnson, along with Patrick Shafer and Lindsay Vespa, has been organizing the event for 17 years. This year, 2,300 people have already signed up, with expectations of more registering on the day of the event.

"We'll probably have a couple people, couple hundred people come down tonight and register. So we're usually around 2,500. Then we have entertainers [and] volunteer, so we make meals for 3,000," said Johnson.

Shafer added, "Yeah, weather can really dictate how this goes. And we get a lot of late registration because people are watching the weather report. So, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if we get up near three again this year."

Despite the costs, Behl emphasized the importance of public safety. "We can't really put a price tag on public safety, right? So we have all kinds of folks that come visit our city. We got to be down there and have a conversation with our community members and ensuring that everybody's safe, has a great time and gets home safely as well," said Behl.

The weather forecast predicts a beautiful day for the event, perfect for both runners and non-runners. All proceeds from the event will benefit multiple local charities.