MSDA to hold annual 5K run to honor late alumna, Maplewood resident

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Mount St. Dominic Academy, the independent, all-girls Catholic college preparatory school in Caldwell, is hosting the eighth annual MSDA Meghan Doyle ʼ05K, a 5-kilometer run/walk, on the streets of Caldwell and Essex Fells on Saturday, May 7.

This event was the brainchild of a Maplewood family, the Doyles, after their daughter Meghan, a member of the Mount’s Class of 2005, died suddenly in 2013. With a desire to carry on her legacy and help Meghan achieve some of her life’s bucket list items, the Doyle family worked with the Mount to create this spirited and important fundraiser that has positively impacted the lives of many young women throughout the state. To date, the MSDA Meghan Doyle ’05K has raised nearly $200,000 in support of the Mount’s financial assistance program. 

After two consecutive years of successful virtual events, this community run/walk returns with a USA Track & Field Grand Prix–certified course that winds through the neighborhoods surrounding the school’s campus. The race features a cash prize for the top female and male runners, with medals and awards for the top three finishers in each age group.

MSDA is also hosting the run/walk virtually, with participants from Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania already signed up. New this year will be a free fun run for children, with a touch-a-truck event featuring first responders from the surrounding communities. Following registration for the fun run, children ages 10 and younger will have race opportunities broken down by age and the chance to explore the emergency vehicles and trucks.

The touch-a-truck event will begin at 8:30 a.m., the fun run at 9 a.m. and the 5K run/walk at 9:30 a.m. The virtual event will run from May 5 through 9. For more information and to register, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Caldwell/MtStDominicAcademy5KRunWalk.