BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The fifth annual 5K Spirit Run benefiting Mt. Olivet Cemetery was held Saturday morning, Oct. 26. The weather was perfect for running and very much unlike race day last year, when a nor’easter caused a cancellation of the USATF-NJ sanctioned event. According to Nancy Plate, the race director, about 160 people registered for the run.
The race started on the Green and followed a course to the cemetery and back, with participants running competitively, walking or pushing baby carriages. The run was sponsored by Sacred Heart Church and funds will go to the upkeep of its congregational cemetery.
Awards were given to the first overall male and female winners; they were Shane Carroll, of West Orange, with a time of 18:40.57, and Jennifer Edmond, of Bloomfield with a time of 21:36.01. Edmond is a Bloomfield High School graduate in the Class of 2003.
Ed Schroll, of Bloomfield, who won the 5K Spirit Run in 2017, was second across the line this year and Glen Freyer, of Montclair, was third.
Awards were also given to the first male and female winners in various age categories and the first 50 runners received a commemorative drinking glass. According to Plate, the oldest man and woman registered were 79 and 78, respectively.
Plate expressed gratitude for Bloomfield Police Department volunteers who helped with the race, Emergency Medical Services and Bloomfield Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. She also thanked the school district, which rescheduled a high school football game to clear JFK Parkway at Foley Field for the runners.
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