Runners took to the streets of Harlem Saturday for the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K.

“This year being over 5,000 participants, it’s great to be back in Harlem. Great to have the community out here again,” said Ted Mettelus, race director for the TCS New York City Marathon.

The race is part of Harlem Week, a celebration started in 1974 as Harlem Day. It was an idea co-founded by the man who Saturday's race is named after: Percy Sutton. This year's Harlem Week will continue through next Sunday.

The event was hosted by two organizations Sutton was deeply involved with: the New York Road Runners and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. 

“He was an avid walker. When he would tell me that he would walk at six in the morning, I thought he was pulling my leg because he would tease a lot. But he did. He would get out and exercise regularly every morning,” said Sutton’s granddaughter, Keisha Sutton-James.

The theme of Saturday's event was anti-gun violence. Organizers say its serves as a call to end gun violence nationwide.

“I’m hoping that this walk brings awareness to the issues around gun violence, particularly here in Harlem and other communities like Harlem,” said Laquisha Grant, a Harlem resident who took part in the walk.

Sutton passed away in 2009. Among his many accomplishments and titles, he was an influential civil rights lawyer and the city’s longest-serving Manhattan Borough President. 

His granddaughter now serves as Deputy Borough President.