Sprinting for scholarships

Runners from the Five Towns and elsewhere are gearing up for this year's Inwood 5K on Sunday, at which local high school students will be presented with college scholarships.

This weekend’s event will be the 15th annual 5K. The race was inaugurated in 1993, but there was no running in 1998 due to renovations at Inwood Park, which is part of the race route. Hundreds of people ran in last year's 3.1-mile race through the streets of Inwood, and this year it will feature another large field.

“It’s gotten bigger and better every year,” said Lawrence resident Michael DeRosa, who, along with Peter Sobol of Inwood, co-founded the race. “It’s getting more and more popular. We’ve been giving the proceeds to outstanding high school students going to college, with each [sponsor] organization selecting a graduate from the Five Towns.” The scholarships are typically worth $500, DeRosa explained.

The participating organizations include the Inwood Buccaneers, the Inwood Fire Department, Leonardo da Vinci #2385, Five Towns Kiwanis, the Inwood Civic Association, the OLGC Rosary Society, Peninsula Kiwanis, VFW Post #1582, the Five Towns Community Center, the Lawrence High School Moms & Dads Club, the Five Towns Child Care Center and Knights of Columbus #378. This year’s finish line sponsor is St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Local groups and businesses -- PrimeTime Xpress and LIHerald.com among them -- also sponsor the event.

Andrew Strunk, a member of Lawrence High School’s class of 2009, finished 14th in last year’s race and was awarded a scholarship by the Mom & Dads Club. “I think the event is important because it promotes a sense of community and a message of health consciousness at the same time,” Strunk said. “I ran because the Inwood 5K, as opposed to all of my races with the Lawrence cross-country team, gave me a chance to relax and not worry about competition or winning.”

This year’s race will honor the memory of Jesse Mistero, who had served as its grand marshal. Mistero, who died in March, was the Republican leader of Inwood and North Lawrence and the deputy commissioner of sanitation for the Town of Hempstead.

“It’s very nice that they dedicated it to his memory,” said Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise, Mistero’s cousin and a friend. “He was one of the original sponsors of the race. Certainly, he deserves that honor.”

DeRosa said the reason the race has lasted is because the community continues to support it. “We have 12 organizations who provide volunteers for manpower to do the race,” he said. “When you get that many people behind it, anything is possible.”

Donations can be made to the race’s scholarship fund. Roy Meserole, a member of the Inwood Civic Association and an owner of the Meserole Funeral Home, said he is giving $500 to honor his mother, Georgina Kirk, and local Olympian Raymond Barbuti. “It’s a cooperative venture with community organizations,” Meserole said. “It’s a real community event ...”

The Five Towns Child Care Center has sponsored the race from its beginnings, and its volunteers have handed out T-shirts and numbers to the runners at previous races. “We’re lucky to pick girls who were here or people we know [for scholarships],” said Susan Corbelli, the center’s executive assistant. “That’s why it’s important to us: We’ve helped a lot of kids over the years. It’s a great event. It’s great to see all the kids of different ages.”

Corbelli added, “Anyone can run. The organization sees to it that everyone can run, which is fabulous.”

Jonathan Bennett of Cedarhurst ran in last year’s race, and is planning on participating again this year. “My preparation is part of my regular schedule,” he said. “For me, it’s more for fun, but it’s all part of supporting the greater community, and that’s something I’m in favor of.”

Not everyone who has run in previous races will have the chance to participate this year because the race falls on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. “I’m bummed that this is the first time I’m not going to be running since 2003,” said Amy Borgen of Lawrence, who was the top female runner from the Five Towns last year. “It’s a fun race, and the kids have a great time, and it’s nice to be together with the people in the community. Better luck next year.”

Aaron Freilich, also of Lawrence, feels that sense of disappointment as well. “It’s like the first one in 10 years that I’m not running,” he said. “I’ve run every race since 2000. I run races all over Long Island and this is my favorite.” Freilich, who was the top Five Towns runner last year, said he enjoys the 5K because it’s his hometown race, and the founders do a good job of providing food and activities for participants.

“It’s a great race,” he said. “It’s flat and fast. There’s lots of goodies, good people, and I’ll definitely be back next year.”

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