Special Olympian Aaron Eucker, of Morris, was happy to have crossed the finish line in good time Saturday morning during the Run the Beat 5K. Out of breath, but with a smile on his face, Eucker said that even though he has run a lot of races with Special Olympics, this is his first 5K.

“I just like running,” he said. “This was a lot harder. There were some points that I thought I was going to give up.”

But he persevered and was one of the more than 200 runners who made it through and raised money for Special Connections of Grundy County, an organization dedicated to connect disabled adults with their communities through social interactions and recreational opportunities.