ORIG / 10-26-2014 / Meg Roussos / The Bulletinrun with their costumes on during the Monster Dash in Bend on Sunday, October, 26, 2014.

Clifford Swift’s training for “American Ninja Warrior” officially began this week.

The 5-year-old Bend speedster finished the Little Monsters’ Mile on Sunday morning in high spirits dressed in a sweet sweatsuit and headband in honor of his favorite reality television show. Clifford and his younger brother, Theodore, ran the 1-mile course around Bend’s Mirror Pond with their mom, Kelsey Swift, as the boys’ dad, Tanner Swift, cheered on his ninjas in training.

“The part where you ran downhill after the bridge, that was the best part. You speed up a lot then,” said Clifford, who performed one-arm pushups between interview questions.

More than 140 runners of all ages, including the Swifts, participated in Sunday morning’s Monster Dash 5K, 10K and Little Monsters’ Mile. The third annual running of the Halloween-themed event started and finished at Highland Elementary School, taking runners on an out-and-back route just past Columbia Park — also known as the Pirate Ship Park to anyone with kids — and then through Drake Park on a counterclockwise loop before concluding at the Highland parking lot.

“This is the best family run in Bend,” said Wonder Woman, aka Ali Emerson, who ran the Little Monsters’ Mile with Superman (husband Rob Emerson), Wonder Girl (3-year-old daughter Karsyn) and Buzz Lightyear (5-year-old daughter Kamryn). “We’ve done this race every year they’ve had it.”

Sunday’s run was the first out of the stroller for the younger Emerson girls.

“They did great and ran the whole way,” Rob Emerson said. “Better than expected, actually. I thought I’d have to carry them a little bit.”

Nearly all of the 142 finishers Sunday cruised through Bend’s west-side neighborhoods in some sort of costume. Super heroes mingled with Groucho Marx, a dragon, the Energizer Bunny, cowboys, cops, and an entire prison gang that was on the lam. One of the more memorable finishes featured the Grim Reaper outrunning the devil and the Big and Little Dippers.

Times were kept for those interested in being fast and funny. Bend’s Renee Baillie won the 10K in 36 minutes, 40 seconds. (Full results can be found at www.eclecticedgeracing.com.) For the most part, though, competitors seemed to appreciate a reason to dress up and be active on a brisk Sunday morning.

Said Kelsey Swift, the mother of the two young American Ninja Warriors: “It’s just fun to get the kids running and involved.”

—Reporter: 541-383-0305; beastes@bendbulletin.com.