RunAPalooza Raises Thousands For Special Olympics NJ
Over 3,000 turned out in support of the athletic programs
More than $40,000 was raised for Special Olympics New Jersey [SONJ], which provides year round, gratis sports training and competition opportunities for more than 25,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities, organizers announced Tuesday.
Despite Saturday’s inclement weather, over 3,000 participated in the three events, which included a 5K, half and full marathon.
Hosted by Jersey Shore Running Club hosted the annual RunAPalooza, a fundraising event will also benefit the Jersey Shore Dream Center, a Neptune based outreach program that provides support to families across the region.
Event standouts included Special Olympic athlete Kevin of the Kev & D crew who participated in the relay marathon. This year was marked the team’s 10th year of participation. Comprised of over 100 people, they earned the title of highest fundraising team to participate in RunAPalooza with their $10,000 contribution.
Other Special Olympic athlete standouts include Kyle Dehn, a 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games athlete who ran the anchor leg for the Asbury’s Slowest team; Brian Cannavina, who participated in the half marathon with his father Tony; and SONJ corporate partner Hinkle, Fingles, Prior & Fischer, who were eight strong in the 5K race.
The events final tallies are listed below:
For the marathon: the top female finisher was Veronica Kung from Arlington, Va, with a time of 4:02:59.6. The top male finisher was Casey Rhode of New York, with a time of 2:27:00.1. The top relay team to cross the finish line was New Jersey Batman with a time of 2:52:17.1.
For the half-marathon: the top female finisher was Joanne McCabe from Sea Girt, with a time of 1:35:04.9. The top male finisher was Jeff Propert of Wall, with a time of 1:19:50.5.
For the 5K: the top female finisher was Beth Marzigiliano of Lake Como, with a time of 19:22.8. The top male finisher was Mark Hayes with a time of 18:05.4.
For more about Special Olympics New Jersey, visit www.sonj.org.
[Photos courtesy of Special Olympics NJ]
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