In 1995, people pushing homemade coffins took off in the first-ever race of its kind in Manitou Springs in what is known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races.

One of its participants was Barb Reichter, a now 63-year-old woman who has lived in Colorado Springs for decades. What started as a few people wearing matching T-shirts and pushing some “badly put together coffins” while very few onlookers watched exploded into an event where thousands would attend, Reichter said.

On Saturday, crowds flooded into the mountain town, packing the streets and sidewalks in anticipation of an event that has grown to be a notable part of Manitou’s history.

Reichter said the event has “evolved” over the 30 years it’s been around, noting the parades and coffins have gotten bigger, and the crowds as well. But what’s stayed constant are the people who are happy to be there.

Organizers estimated the race would draw 10,000 people, many of whom were dressed in various costumes. From the Halloween staples to more modern references like Art the Clown, people dressed for the time, honoring the death of a woman who died over 100 years ago.

In 1889, Emma Crawford, a woman suffering from tuberculosis, moved to Manitou hoping the natural mineral waters would provide relief, and perhaps even a cure. Although weakened, she was determined to climb the summit of Red Mountain. Struck by the beauty of the surroundings, Crawford asked to be buried there.

When Crawford died in 1891 at age 28, her wishes were honored. But in 1929, harsh winters and spring rains dislodged her coffin from its burial place, sending it racing down the mountainside. When her remains were found, a few bones, the casket handles and a nameplate were all that were left.

But her legacy lives on in a city that prides itself on its eccentricity and uniqueness.

“Ours is the original coffin race,” Hallie Gurba, Visit Manitou Springs’ special events coordinator, told The Gazette on Thursday. “There are others around the country now, but we are the original.”

In recent years, coffin races have popped up in other states, including Texas, California and Nevada.

“Manitou is a very funky, hippy awesome little town. It’s pretty cool that the founders of this event took something kind of gruesome and turned it into something pretty fun,” Reichter said.

Saturday’s coffin races had 55 participants, who took off in their mobile coffins with people dressed as Emma Crawford sitting on them, while others pushed.

Reichter participated in the race with the Pikes Peak Spartans, a team put together by the Michigan State University Alumni Club, which was started by Reichter’s wife.

The inspiration to race started after Reichter and her wife participated in the Christmas Lights Parade last year.

“I told (my wife), ‘That’s the dumbest thing I ever saw.’ It was awesome. And so she’s like, ‘What’s a bigger, dumber thing we could do?’ Well, obviously this,” Reichter said.

Dressed as the team’s deceased Emma Crawford was 18-year-old Sophia Ulrich, who was participating in the race for the first time. Wearing a white Victorian-style dress with a green corset, Ulrich said she drew inspiration for the outfit from online references.

“I love Halloween, and I think it’s such an amazing life experience to be a part of this,” Ulrich said.

Standing next to their coffin, which was made to look like a chariot, Reichter said the event captures the spirit of Manitou, and she’s happy it’s only continued to grow.

Yet some have taken issue with the event’s growing crowds.

Even from five years ago, 30-year-old Hanna Nixon said there was a noticeable difference in size on Saturday.

And with the increase in people comes a growing headache of finding a place to park.

“The parking is the worst part of it. Like, it’s nice to see the event get so big, but the parking is just very limited,” Nixon said.

Nixon said she had to pay $20 in cash to park at a nearby spot, and even those spots were getting filled up.

As the event continued, more people flooded in, causing them to stand or sit shoulder to shoulder on Manitou Avenue. Many onlookers stood on elevated surfaces, and many more were in the back trying to peer over shoulders and heads.

Several people were heard complaining about not being able to see the parade scheduled ahead of the race.

Despite its issues, the sound of chatter, music and laughter filled the streets of Manitou.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said 30-year-old Lindsey Hopewell of Houston.

An engineering student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Hopewell and the UCCS chapter of Society of Women Engineers joined the coffin race to show that women also know how to design and build stuff.

She and the rest of the team stood next to their coffin, designed to look like a rocket ship because many of them are aerospace engineering majors.

“To see us as women, running and representing women engineers — I hope that inspires younger people,” Hopewell said.

The event was livestreamed on the “Pikes Peak Regions Attractions” YouTube page, which has nearly 7.8 million subscribers.