Congratulations to 11-year-old Garden City athlete Stephanie Gerland, who scored as the first female finisher (14 and under age group) in the 13th annual Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella and Yedid Kings Park 15 Kilometer Run, held on the roads of Kings Park on Saturday, March 13. Gerland crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 38 seconds, finishing as the eighth woman overall, with a performance that was especially impressive in light of the drastic weather conditions that the runners encountered that morning.
Oh yes, it rained on March 13, and oh, yes, there was an awful lot of nasty wind. But runners are very hardy creatures, and Gerland was one of 441 hardy finishers who managed to bull their way through the ever-present puddles, climb up Kohr Road, survive the gruesome wind on Old Dock Road and elsewhere, and make it to the New Discovery School finish line. Gerland and all the other finishers who survived the morning can take justifiable pride in a job well done.
Race director Steven Toto and a crackerjack team of volunteers from the Greater Long Island Running Club did another strong job of putting things together this year. Proceeds of the Run will go to the American Brain Tumor Foundation, with a stipend also being turned over to the Kings Park School District for Kings Park athletic programs.
Thank you to title sponsor Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella and Yedid; presenting sponsor Kings Park Physical Therapy and its principal, Greg Rahn; and to the rest of our great 15K sponsor team: Kings Park Florist, the Kings Park law firm of Sullivan and Kehoe, Park Bake Shop, Flynn-Aire, CRK Contracting, Kings Park Stationers, Alpine Pastry Shop of Smithtown, and Exclusive Cleaners and Tailors.
