Rockaway Runs to Catch a Cure

By Katie McFadden

On a beautiful Sunday morning, Rockaway came out strong to hopefully Catch a Cure. More than 400 people registered for the charitable 5K run/ walk in honor of those battling cancer and in memory of those they’ve lost, with the hope of one day finding a cure.

On Sunday, October 5, the boardwalk at Beach 116th was a sea of blue t-shirts as runners and walkers of all ages came out to participate. The participants first met at Rogers for their shirt and number pick up before hitting the boards on the summer-like morning. The 7th Annual Catch a Cure 5K was held on behalf of Rockaway, Breezy Point and Broad Channel residents dealing with cancer and in honor of those who have been successful with their battles. This year’s Catch a Cure was in memory of Richie O’Connor of Rockaway, Patricia Redmond of Breezy Point, and Billy Gill of Broad Channel, and it was run in honor of Marianne “Skippy” Doyle of Rockaway, Liz Boyle of Broad Channel and June Morgan of Breezy Point.

Started in 2017 by Rockaway locals, Robin Hoffman, Megan Rochelle, Jean Condon, and Linda Humphrey, The Catch a Cure 5K has become a successful annual event. Catch a Cure, a 501c3, raises funds for locals battling cancer through entry fees, t-shirt sales, a big 50/50 raffle for $20 a ticket, plus generous donations from local businesses and neighbors.

The event kicked off with a prayer led by Father Jim Cunningham of St. Francis de Sales. Participants were met with water stations sponsored by Orange Theory Fitness near the turnaround at Beach 126th and by Broad Channel’s VFW Post 260 at the turnaround near Beach 97th Street.

Some chose to walk the 5K while others took advantage of the competitive spirit of it. In first place was William Mackay, coming in at 21:43, even while pushing his sleeping daughter in a stroller. Tzvi Hersh Goldberg came in second at 22:15. The first female, Ava Masullo, came in third overall with 22:50. Patrick Linehan came in fourth at 24:10. Dylan Pye was fifth with 24:20 and holding hands to the finish line was William and Matthew Gill at 24:34. The second female and eighth overall was Kathleen Baumann at 25:20.

Congratulations to all participants, organizers and sponsors for being part of such a successful event for a great cause!