Hundreds race in Robbie’s Run

They came from Nassau and Suffolk counties, New York City, upstate New York — even Virginia. Most of the hundreds of runners in the 10th Annual Robbie’s Run, however, came from Merrick.

The April 26 5K race, which wound through the streets of south Merrick and finished at Levy-Lakeside Elementary School, was a success once again this year, likely netting tens of thousands of dollars for Forever 9: The Robbie Levine Foundation while bringing the community together for a cause as well as exercise on a sunny spring day. The foundation funds automated external defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment and training.

The 3.1-mile race came down to a photo finish this year, with James Forte, 16, nosing out his Calhoun High School classmate Ryan Curran, 17, for first place by three tenths of a second. Forte’s winning time was 17:13.4.

Merokeans Jill and Craig Levine started the foundation after their son, Robbie, died suddenly at age 9 in 2005, when his heart stopped while he was running the bases at a Little League team practice at Lakeside. It purchases AEDs for schools and youth ball fields and provides classes in CPR.

In addition to the 5K, there was a one-mile mini-run and a half-mile children’s fun run, as well as food and entertainment for the crowd of attendees.