By Davy James, Staff Writer
Some people hit their 50th birthday and plan a huge party or suffer the pangs of a midlife crisis and buy an expensive turbo-charged sports car.
Monmouth Junction resident Bob Tona took a different route on his 50th, deciding to commemorate the entire year by running 50 road races to help raise money for juvenile diabetes research.
”Over the last 10 years, I’ve run from a half dozen to a dozen races in a year as a motivational tool to stay in shape,” Mr. Tona said. “I did the same thing when I turned 40, and I called it 40 at 40. We all have a midlife crisis, and I’m not going to run across the country.”
Mr. Tona decided to call this yearlong quest, Bob’s 50 @ 50. So far he’s run four races, including a grueling stretch where he participated in the 4-mile Midnight Run in Central Park, N.Y., on New Year’s Eve followed by the 5K Resolution Run in Hillsborough at 11 a.m. Jan. 1.
”Doing two races in one day was tough so I took it extremely easy during both races,” Mr. Tona said.
The quest to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a personal one for Mr. Tona, whose 18-year-old daughter, Leigh Ann, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 7. She undergoes insulin pump therapy that requires her to be attached to a pump 24 hours a day.
”When she was diagnosed, I wasn’t aware of everything it entails,” Mr. Tona said. “But it doesn’t go away unless we find a cure.”
Mr. Tona said his goal is to raise $10,000 during the year and already has raised $3,200.
”I hope to exceed that number, but when I was doing the planning for this a year and a half ago, the financial situation in this country was better,” he said. “But things have deteriorated so much that it’s wrong for me to ask for more when people are getting laid off.”
Mr. Tona also is hoping for a local company to donate a new pair of running shoes to him.
But his goal for the races goes beyond trying to raise money. He wants people to join him in running.
”I want people to be at these races and join me because the main thing is to get everybody to eat right and exercise,” Mr. Tona said. “Everybody should live by that standard, but it’s more critical for diabetics.”
The quest for 50 races will take Mr. Tona all over New Jersey, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Virginia, Delaware, New Hampshire, Boston and more. He also has a personal goal to run a race in every state in the United States, and so far he has run in 26 different states.
Mr. Tona is hoping for donations to the JDRF through his Web site — www.bobs50at50.com. Included on the site is his weekly blog so people can follow Mr. Tona and those who join him at the races throughout the year. He hopes people who never have experienced a run will come and give it a shot.
He said he runs at the same pace as those who join him so they have as much fun as possible.
Mr. Tona credits his wife, Roseanne, for being supportive of his running, but, ultimately, the quest will hinge on how his body holds up.
”I’m good about listening to what my body tells me,” he said. “Hopefully, I won’t have any major injuries.”
Mr. Tona said it’s important to give as much as possible to the JDRF because a cure is close to being found, something he expects to see in his lifetime. He also hopes other people will live by his example.
”I think it’s important to get out there and be a role model for all the kids and parents out there,” he said. “I hope they use me as a conduit to give running a shot. Even if you’re embarrassed, come on out, and we’ll have a good time and maybe find another recruit.”

