Randolph Rocks 5K Run Raises More Than $24,000

[drops]More than 500 registered runners and walkers competed in the sixth annual Randolph Rocks 5K Run on Sat., June 13. The race raised more than $24,000 for the Randolph Education Foundation, (REF),

which provides grants and other funding to support programs that enrich the educational experience of the district’s students.

First place overall for men went to Collin Frost of Randolph who completed the 5K

in 15:42 minutes.   Amanda Houston, 12, of Randolph finished in 20:58 minutes,

capturing the first place overall for women.

Prizes were awarded in more than a dozen categories, including top male and

female runners, top male and female Randolph residents, and top male and female

Randolph staff members.

Heather Keaney, an aide at Fernbrook School, was the top female staff member, with a time of 23:36. Taking the top male staff honor for the third year in a row was Randolph High School teacher Nick Albanito who finished in 18:11. Albanito is also one of the REF’s 2014 Next Practices Grant

award winners.

The Randolph Strings group, headed by elementary orchestra teacher Kim Chiesa, won the best team t-shirt competition. Complete results are available at the Randolph Education Foundation website: www.randolpheducationfoundation.org.

In addition to awards for top runners, REF offered numerous door prizes, drawing

winning numbers at random. The top prize, a BMW Cruise Bike valued at $1,000

and donated by BMW of Roxbury, was won by Randolph resident Tom Grunert,

who also received honors for placing first in his age group, with a time of 25:29.

The 5K Race is an annual event hosted by the Randolph Education Foundation. A

team of more than sixty volunteers manned registration tables, kept runners on

course as they wound their way through roads, trails and track, and served up

refreshments and water during and after the run.

The event is always heavily supported by the town and its residents, and this year

was no exception. Randolph Deputy Mayor Roman Hirniak was there to help start

the race and cheer the runners.   Randolph High School senior Isabel Braun, who

went on to place second in her age category, delighted the crowd with her rendition

of the National Anthem.

Two local bands – Forty North, comprised of current RHS students, and Jimmy Hoofers, featuring RHS graduates, provided live music along the way to motivate the runners and walkers. Luke Scanzera, a student at RMS, served as the DJ at the race start and finish. Members of Randolph High School’s Key Club staffed the water stop.

“The Randolph Education Association and Solutions Architecture stepped up once

again to be our banner sponsors,”   said Race Director and REF President Margaret Clark . We are so grateful for their support. We’d especially like to thank Mariellen and Kevin Higgins of Runner’s Haven, who not only helped organize the event but also offered their business as a sign up location for our event.”

Claire Keller, REF Board Member, said, “We deeply appreciate their generosity and the support of all our other sponsors and volunteers, many of whom have been with us from the start. We also want to thank the many REA members who participated in the run, as well as the many people who organized teams.”

More than 65 local and national companies and businesses helped support this

Event.

“We enjoyed getting out and meeting so many people in our community,” said Dr. Dean

Curtis of Randolph Pain Relief and Wellness Center, who was a table sponsor at the event. “It’s a fantastic event and we would definitely sponsor again next year.”

More information, including volunteer opportunities, is available at the REF website,

RandolphEducationFoundation.org.

The Randolph Education Foundation is a non-profit, charitable trust that provides alternative funding to support education and innovation in Randolph Township Public Schools. Launched in 2010, the REF relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. These donations are directly applied to vital educational programming for Randolph children.