McVey 5K expands in second year

About 300 racers kicked off the second annual McVey 5K last Sunday at McVey Elementary School on Devon Street.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Srinidhi Chinnadurai, 9, of McVey Elementary School, couldn’t help but flash a smile as she crossed the finish line for the fun run.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Kelly Perno-Grosser and Matt Erman were the top female and male finishers of the 5K.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Scarlett Espinoza, 11, the 1-mile fun run winner, clocked in at 7 minutes and 49 seconds.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Ashlee Sjoholm finished first not only in her age group, but also among McVey students. The 10-year-old finished 16th overall at 22:18.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

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The inaugural McVey 5K last October was so successful, said race organizer Michael Simone, he feared that the second go-around would not live up to increased expectations.

Those fears were alleviated, however, when hundreds arrived at McVey Elementary School last Sunday to participate in the 5K race and 1-mile-fun run. “It went 100 times smoother than I could have even hoped for,” said Simone, the school’s phys. ed teacher and a 1997 East Meadow High School graduate.

Participation was up from the year before, said Simone, with 305 racers competing in the 5K, and 150 in the fun run.

The top overall finisher of the 5K was Matt Erman, 15, a member of the East Meadow High School track team, at 18 minutes and 53 seconds. Erman bested second-place finisher Connor Ring by five seconds.

The top female finisher, Kelly-Perno Grosser, 34, clocked in at 19 minutes and 51 seconds, good for fifth overall.

The ages of the participants in the 5K ranged from 5 to 75. Gabriella Debord, 5, finished in 47 minutes and 14 seconds. Ann Stelling, 75, ran it in 41 minutes and 50 seconds.

Simone thanked the hard work of his colleagues for their volunteer efforts, especially Jessica Klide, an ESL teacher at McVey, who is also his sister-in-law.

The race also received a huge boost from Hofstra University. In the weeks leading up to the event, Simone said they were short on volunteers. Through a student-teacher in the school, word made it to the university, and members of the school’s wrestling and baseball team showed up to volunteer their services.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and McVey’s Parent Teacher Association.

Race participants stuck around after the race, said Simone, to chat excitedly with one another, and enjoy music provided by a DJ from DreamCatcher Entertainment. “It was a great, festive atmosphere,” Simone said. “Everyone in the community kept saying such great things.”