By Diane Hasili
More than 650 runners and walkers crowded ETS’ campus waiting to start the ETS Firecracker Run/Walk’s eighth annual 5K on June 26th. This year’s event generated nearly $23,000 for the YWCA Princeton’s Bilingual Nursery School.
“The turnout was beyond our expectations. We started eight years ago with just 350 runners and now we are at more than 650,” said Diane Hasili, YWCA Princeton’s spokesperson. “We are especially grateful to Kurt Landgraf, ETS President and Chief Executive Officer, and all the ETS employees for their generous support over all the years. Because of them, countless Spanish speaking children have been able to enter kindergarten on par with their English speaking peers.”
Participants and their families were treated to festivities at the start of the run, and refreshments at the finish. Music from the Sound Choice had people dancing and runners motivated to give it that “extra push” for a strong performance.
The race began at 7:30 p.m. weaving through ETS’ beautiful campus. Brian Hughes, Mercer County Executive, popped the starter’s gun as runners dashed across the start line seeking good times and breaking personal records. Led by the pace car, a sleek black convertible from Porsche of Princeton, runners followed close behind passing through fields and woods, and even a small lake. As the race wove its way through ETS’ campus, crowds of spectators cheered the runners.
A USATF sanctioned event, it drew participants near and far. With the majority from the tri-state area and lots of local families, this year’s race included participants from Georgia, South Carolina, and New York’s north shore region.
In addition to seasoned runners, there were walkers and even some pushing toddlers in strollers. The weather was absolutely perfect with slight breezes providing ideal race conditions. The event race brought out the young and old. The youngest participant was a two-year old from Lawrenceville on ETS’s team, and the oldest 83 years of age.
After the race, participants were treated to refreshments and sandwiches. Trophies were handed out for top finishers and in age categories from 5 to 80-years old by the committee member Jaymie Kosa of ETS.
Cole Crosby of Princeton was the first person to cross the finish line earning the top spot in the Overall Men’s Division with a time of 15:40.13. Stephen Sipprelle of Princeton was right behind at 16:43:02 as was Graham Merfield of Titusville at 17:14.19. Carrie Brox of Princeton wonTop Overall Women at 18:11:06, followed by Jane Albright of Readington at 19:10.19; and Elizabeth Litten of Lawrenceville at 19:26.80.
In Top Masters Finishers Men Division, Graham Merfield of Titusville took first at 17:14:19, followed by Carl Goldschmidt of Doylestown, PA at 18:19:28, and Scott McCann of Lawrenceville at 18:24:53. It was Elizabeth Litten who arrived at the finish line first for Top Masters Finishers Women with a time of 19:26:80, followed by Chuma Keswa at 21:48:14, and Alysia Puna of Flemington at 21:53:55.
Teams were large and small, and all had heart. Taking the top team spot was the Lincoln Club, followed by Team Running Joke, Fox Rothschild, ETS, Church & Dwight, Szaferman Lakind, Mercadien, TYCO, Miss Patti, Bracco Diagnostics, and Hopewell Valley Community Bank, and Novo Nordisk. A complete list of individual and team scores and results can be viewed at www.ywcaprinceton.org and at www.compuscore.com.
Corporate sponsors included ETS, Tyco, Bracco Diagnostics, Novo Nordisk, Provident Bank, The Mercadien Group, The Bank of Princeton, GEICO Princeton/Hamilton, Nelligan Sports Marketing, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance, Szaferman Lakind.
In-kind donors included Fox Rothschild LLP, Hopewell Valley Community Bank, Sound Choice DJs, Planet Princeton, Town Topics, The Princeton Packet, Reporte Hispano, Wegman’s, Whole Foods Market of Princeton, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, McCaffrey’s, Porsche of Princeton, and RoadID. More than 10 local businesses also donated prizes for the race fundraising raffle.
Proceeds help fund the YWCA Princeton’s Bilingual Nursery School. With a large multi-cultural community that attracts families from all over the world, the Bilingual Nursery School prepares young, immigrant children with English language skills ensuring they start kindergarten on par with their peers. The YWCA Princeton provides assistance for its Bilingual Nursery School, Breast Cancer Resource Center, and numerous other programs and services. Last year over $500,000 in scholarships and financial assistance was awarded children, families and seniors that needed YWCA services but could not afford them.

