Close to 2,000 runners are expected to flock to the streets of Red Bank June 13 for the 22nd annual George Sheehan Classic.
The 5K race has become one of the most popular in the Shore area and throughout the state, and it is named in honor of the late Dr. George Sheehan. While Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter were spearheading the famed “running boom” of the 1970s on the roads, it was Dr. Sheehan who was running’s resident philosopher, helping to popularize the sport of running for the masses.
Phil Hinck, the race director, said the Sheehan Classic “is a wonderful tribute to Sheehan and what he meant to running.”
Runners in the 5K will compete for more than $2,500 in prize money that goes to the top five overall finishers, top New Jersey finishers and age-group winners.
Last year, former Brick Memorial High School and Duke University star Andrew Brodeur won the Sheehan in 15:15.31. The women’s champion was Noel Whitall of Toms River, who clocked 17:45.87.
The 5K race is part of a weekend of running-related action in Red Bank.
On June 12 from 2-8 p.m., the Runner’s Expo Village will be set up at Marine Park. The Sheehan Kids’ Classic will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Marine Park.
On June 13, the Runner’s Expo Village will operate from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. The Sheehan Classic, which starts and finishes on Broad Street, will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the Awards Ceremony following at 10 back at Marine Park with music and food at nearby Brannigan’s Bar and Grill. To register for the race or for more information on the Sheehan Classic, go to www.sheehanclassic.org or call the race hotline at 732-571-2162.
The Sheehan Classic is the second stop on the Jersey Shore Golden Grand Prix, sponsored by McLoone’s. The Grand Prix is a series of five races in which the competitors accumulate points, and the runners with the most points receive cash prizes.
Spring Lake kicked the Grand Prix season off May 23 with its annual 5-mile run. Brodeur crossed the line first in 24:42.5 just ahead of Colts Neck’s Mark Leininger (24:50.2).
Brodeur and Leininger raced against each other in high school when Brodeur ran for Brick Memorial and Leininger went to Colts Neck High School.
New York City’s Sarah Cummins won the women’s race in 27:44. She was 11th overall. The runner-up was Marisa Cummings from Spring Lake (28:45.4).
The other races on the circuit are the Belmar 5-Mile Run, July 11; the Asbury Park 5K, Aug. 8; and the Pier House 5K in Long Brach, Sept. 7.
Last year’s overall Golden Grand Prix winners were Spring Lake’s Mike O’Connor, who edged Brodeur by five points (405-400), and Kellee Hand, the former Howell High School and University of Pennsylvania standout who scored 432 points to finish atop the women’s standings.
Those who compete in all five of the Grand Prix races will get a $50 McLoone’s restaurant gift card plus entry into a drawing for a Grand Prize valued at $1,000.
Go to www.jsgrandprix.com for more information on the race series.