Fun at the Family Run
By Keith “Bugsy” Goldberg
The 22nd edition of the Graybeards Family Run once again provided one of the highlights of summer in Rockaway, producing a fabulous night with over 350 runners participating in at least one race on another beautiful Rockaway night. Spectators more than doubled race attendance, cheering the runners of all ages, and then convening in the Fr. Grogan Memorial Schoolyard at St. Francis de Sales, to celebrate with food and beverages, music from Billy Fleming, games and children’s rides, raffles and awards.
The children’s races kicked things off at 6:30 p.m. with waves of runners pouring down Rockaway Beach Blvd. to receive their ribbons after completing their trek. Rockaway’s Special Athletes followed, drawing a tremendous response from the crowd. The 1 Mile set off at 7 p.m. and Thomas Anderson finished first. Peter Brady, JJ Wiederhold, Anthony Capek and Collin Heeran completed the top five males. Mara Brady was the female champion, followed by Maeve Powell, Juliette Jamin, Regan Liggett, and Holly Warnock. This year’s 5k race again featured segments along the Boardwalk, Rockaway Beach Blvd., and Neponsit Avenue. Demir Degirmenci is this year’s champion, winning in a brisk 16:41. Patrick Goldberg and James Fabisczewski were next behind Degirmenci. Elle Riches extended her hold on the female side to four straight championships with a time of 19:46. Caroline Gifford was second, and Nora Miller third.
Age Group winners were as follows:
12 and under – Male – Will Gahn, Female – Ava Masullo
13-15 – Male – Luca Zirino, Female – Tess Riches
16-20- Male – Jason Bunnell
21-29 – Male – Mike Reddy, Female – Kristi Gahn
30-39 – Male – James Mercer, Female – Kerrie Harnisher
40-49- Male – Adam Magnicarri, Female – Meghan Murphy
50-59 – Male – Tom Patchett, Female – Skippy Doyle
60-69 – Male – Billy Devlin, Female – Christine Goddard
70-74 – Male – Russell Hauk, Female – Jackie McGinty
Many thanks for this great evening are due to our sponsors: Footlocker (Jeanne Lavin Zocks), Rockaway Times, The Wave, Bugalou Productions, Bedford Funding, Bungalow Bar, Harbor Light, Jameson’s, Callie’s, The Wharf; NYPD and 100 Pct CAO’s Farrell and Boamah, NYC Parks; DSNY; Fr. Bill, Fr. Jim, and the SFDS rectory staff; Race Director Joe Featherston; Jim and Charmaine McVeigh of Rockaway Track Club/Boardwalk Timing; Felix Gilroy, Chris Gilroy, John Hutton, John Edwards, and Paul Richter; Bill Egan, Billy Egan, Mike Egan and WPE Catering; Allison Bagley, Jean Bagley, Kim Green, Graybeards Administrative Assistant Suzanne Blum; all my fellow Graybeards who turned out to volunteer in droves, and all the runners and their families. Mark your calendar for the 23rd annual Graybeards Family Run on Friday, July 31, 2026.
Photos by Katie McFadden.
