Last year, Pond Road Middle School student Jared Miller had a novel idea.
Instead of running to fight the crowds in shopping malls on Black Friday, he thought, wouldn’t people feel better if they ran outside, for pleasure, instead?
Such was the genesis of the Black Friday Fun Run/Walk, which returns for a second year Nov. 29. The non-competitive run starts at 10 a.m. and is 1.25 miles (or two laps around the lake in Town Center). A walk portion begins at 10:20 a.m., and is 0.62 miles (one lap around the lake).
Registration is $15, and comes with race entry, a T-shirt and a ticket for door prizes. The proceeds go to support Special Olympics New Jersey.
“Special Olympics New Jersey immediately popped into my mind because of how dedicated the Special Olympics athletes are to their sports, and the fact that they enjoy participating in sports, just like me,” Miller said.
Miller is an eighth grade student at Pond Road Middle School, and member of the school’s cross-country and track teams. He started brainstorming ideas for community service projects last year, and decided a run to benefit the Special Olympics would be perfect.
He entered last year’s event wanting to raise $750. Instead, he raised $3,000. More than 130 people participated in the first Black Friday Fun Run/Walk. This year’s goal is to match or better that.
For a registration form or for more information, email BlackFridayFunRun@gmail.com. There also will be a registration period from 9-9:45 a.m. at the gazebo on Lake Drive in Town Center on the morning of the event.
–Rob Anthes
