Jennifer and David Musson wanted to do something special with their family and members of their wedding party the day after their nuptials. They had originally planned a hike, which was something they had done much of while dating as students at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

But after the Waldo Canyon fire scorched Waldo and Queens canyons where they had planned to hike and came within a half mile of the Franciscan Retreat Center where they had their reception, they decided to do something in gratitude of those who risked so much to fight the blaze.

The Mussons accomplished both Saturday as they and 40 friends and family members participated in the fourth annual Colorado Springs Panerathon.

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“I got an email about the Panerathon and saw it (supported) Care and Share,” said Jim Jenista, father of the bride. “We Knew that Care and Share had fed the firefighters and the policemen and the volunteers and the evacuees and said, ‘Oh, that’s perfect.’”

The Panerathon featured three races: a kids run, a 5K run/walk and a 10K run. Runners started and finished at the University Village Colorado Shopping Center on North Nevada Avenue and traversed a course through the nearby Pikes Peak Greenway Trail System.

More than 700 runners participated, an increase from the 601 who ran in 2011 and the fourth straight year the field has grown. Volunteers from Panera Bread and an impressive contingent from the Air Force Academy made the race possible.

Cadet Katherine Shaw won the women’s 10K in her first distance race. The Cadet Squadron 10 member ran middle distance and played soccer in high school, and entered the event on a whim.

“I just wanted to get back into running, so I figured I’d start here,” she said.

The men’s 10K winner was former Liberty High School soccer player Eric Kosters, who lives in Denver. Kosters, 31, began running four years ago but just recently started competing.

“It was kind of fun to run with the lead group; I’m not used to being a front-runner,” he said. “Right around the halfway point, I realized I could run faster than that group was running so I took off to see if they would try to stay with me.”

They didn’t. Kosters came in well ahead of the pack for his first 10K victory.

For the newlyweds, however, who live in David’s native United Kingdom, the event had nothing to do with competition. It was about bonding with friends and family and giving a little back to the community that raised Jennifer, the only girl among the family’s six children.

“I was really keen to do a hike because that was one of the things I loved about Colorado and that’s one of the things we did in the early days of our relationship,” David said. “With the fires, being able to … help out together – fantastic.”