By: Justin Feil
Diana Rochford continued to give Saturday.
The fifth annual DianaRun 5k provided many with the chance to run and remember Rochford, the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North soccer standout killed in a car accident before her senior year in 2002.
"It helps me. The thing is, it keeps Diana’s memory alive, which for a mother is really important," said Sheree Rochford, mother of Diana, who has stepped into an organizational role with the race. "Of course, it’s just awesome to come here and see friends of hers show up for it. It just means a lot to me. The church, they’ve always been supportive. It’s an awesome church. And the community around Diana has just been wonderful to me and the family. I have students of mine, because I was a teacher in West Windsor, come. And kids come to support me; they didn’t even know Diana. There’s a whole group of reasons that makes it pretty amazing."
The race supports the Diana Fund which allows teenagers the chance to experience other cultures and communities while impacting the world. Before her death, Rochford took such a trip to Mexico, and hoped to encourage others to change the lives of those in need. Almost 250 runners and walkers took part in Saturday’s run, held at Community Middle School, across the street from WW-P North.
Running away with their first DianaRun crowns were Matt Boley and Carrie Brox. Boley, a 15-year-old sophomore at South Brunswick High, was the overall winner in 17 minutes, 20 seconds.
"It’s the first time I’ve run this Diana 5k," said Boley, who is a member of South Brunswick’s cross country and track and field teams. "It was fun. It was a great race. There were not a lot of turns so it was easy.
"I didn’t really have any expectations. I just wanted to come out and run and see how I could do. It’s my personal best so I can’t ask for anything more."
Last fall, Boley was South Brunswick’s fifth finisher at the Group IV state meet in 17:33. After coming off a solid track season, in which he ran the mile and two-mile, he was looking to return to the 5k distance. One mile into the DianaRun, he had opened a sizeable gap on the field.
"Me and my dad, we wanted to run a 5k together," said Boley, whose father, Bill, was third in his age group. "And this is convenient because it’s near where we live. We just decided to run it recently. I’d definitely come back."
