Community Corner
Dash for a Cure Draws Community Together for a Cause
Doing it for Dylan race, now in its eighth year, hosts more than 800 participants.
The hot sun and the high early morning temperatures didn’t stop the runners, walkers and other supporters at the eighth annual on June 18 at Sunrise Drive Elementary School.
Close to 800 runners and walkers came out for the Dash for a Cure, the third installment of the Sayville Summer Series. All of the benefits of the race go to the Shwachman-Diamond Project. Ten-year-old Dylan Egan Kolar was diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS) at the age of one. Within his first year, Dylan received eight blood transfusions and was hospitalized a number of times for infections secondary to bone marrow insufficiency. He is currently doing very well under the guidance of doctors at Cohen Children’s Hospital. The proceeds will go to support the genetic studies so important to determining the cause of bone marrow failure in these children.
The race is about more than just running though. It’s a family friendly event designed to engage the children as well. There’s face painting, a 1K kids fun run around the school and a familiar face for many local children greeting everyone, Sunny the Duck (the mascot). Hamptons Sounds was playing some tunes, while Aeglity Rx was doling out Italian ices.
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“This race is one of my favorites and it’s also for a great cause,” said Brendan Barrett, co-owner of , one of the sponsors. “The kids are all very involved as well. It’s also a nice flat, fast course for the runners.”
Dylan’s mom Jennifer was as usual cheering on all the runners and the walkers at the three-mile mark. After crossing the finish line, the had a truck set up with hoses squirting the overheated runners and playful children. They were then treated to cookies from Panera Bread, bagels, apples, bananas and organic oranges from .
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Raffles were also bountiful as many of the local businesses pitched in for the fundraising efforts. Some of the gift certificates up for grabs included , , Sunrise Fitness, , Panera Bread, Sayville Running Company, , , , , , Riverview, , and more.
The winners of the race were: Daniel Denis (19) of Sayville in 15:37; Dan McGrath (28) of Sunnyside in 15:39 and Keith Forlenza (21) of Whitestone in 15:43; . The top three women finishers were: Leonara Petrina (28) of Bayport in 16:48; Laura Rodriguez (31) of the Bronx in 19:08 and Jennifer King (Sayville) (31) in 19:28.
The next race of the Sayville Summer Series – the Race to Cure Cystic Fibrosis -- will take place on July 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the .
