Racing to rebuild

Long Beach 5K event supports Hurricane Sandy victims

Race2Rebuild community run kicks off Oct. 29 on boardwalk

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To mark the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Race2Rebuild, a nonprofit that raises money through marathons and other endurance races to help displaced homeowners rebuild after natural disasters nationwide, will hold the Long Beach Community 5K and kids’ race on Oct. 29.

The event, organized in conjunction with the city, 1156Run and Long Beach Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) marks the third Race2Rebuild event in Long Beach and is aimed at supporting ongoing rebuilding efforts in town. The race takes place on the boardwalk beginning at New York Avenue at 7:30 a.m.

An after-party with raffle prizes will be held at Shine’s Bar. Register online at www.race2rebuild.org/2016-events. Participants must be registered before Oct. 20 in order to receive an event shirt.

In April, Race2Rebuild held its annual Run, Ride and Rebuild event, which attracted more than 300 athletes and volunteers who aided in the rebuilding of two homes for Long Beach families with the help of nonprofit organizations Rebuilding Together Long Island and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Other projects included dune and debris cleanup led by the City of Long Beach, a dune and canal cleanup with the Surfrider Foundation-Central Long Island Chapter and the installation of a wheelchair ramp at St. Ignatius Martyr Church with Citizens United to Remove Barriers.

Money raised from the Oct. 29 5K will go toward next April’s race and rebuilding events.

“The proceeds from this event sill support ongoing Sandy recovery projects, like the ones that were held earlier this year in April and in 2015, and so far we’ve completed seven projects in Long Beach,” said Sarah Hartmann, president of Race2Rebuild. “The place where we have worked the most is Long Beach — we do this event in Long Beach every year to come together as a community — it’s a tough day and there are still so many families who need assistance.”

Hartmann was set to run the New York City Marathon in 2012 when, 36 hours before the race, in the aftermath of Sandy, the event was canceled for the first time in its 42-year history. Immediately after the storm, Hartmann volunteered in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Long Beach, and organized a group of more than 1,000 runners to help residents who were reeling from the devastation.

The effort led Hartmann to create Race2Rebuild, which held its first event in Long Beach in 2014 with a community 5K run, followed by the Run, Ride, Rebuild event the following year.

1156Run was founded by former Long Beach resident Keith Grant, an Army veteran and former Herald editor who volunteered with Race2Rebuild two years ago, and raised more than $1,500 by running the New York City Half Marathon.

"We started this race two years ago with two intents: One, to bring people together for a positive event during an otherwise stressful time,” Grant said. “And two, to support our neighbors who were still fighting to fix their homes. I think this year there will be something powerfully symbolic about running the boardwalk four years to the day that it was destroyed, and doing it in support of R2R."

“Unfortunately, Superstorm Sandy is still having a lingering effect on lots of residents,” added City Council Vice President Anthony Eramo, a Democrat running for State Assembly. “And to have Race2Rebuild — which is helping families all across the country affected by disaster — is an honor for Long Beach.”