Rotary Club of Seatuck Cove hosts annual 4 Leaf Clover Run

The Rotary Club of Seatuck Cove hosted its eighth annual 4-Leaf Clover 5K Run/Walk marathon on Saturday, March 23.

The event began outside East Moriches Middle School at 9 a.m.  Runners began at Adelaide Avenue outside the school, crossed through Montauk Avenue and Eastview Avenue to run up Toledo Avenue, and then returned to East Moriches Middle School.  The event raised money that will be used to fund scholarships for students attending high schools in the East Moriches and Eastport school districts.

“As a nonprofit, we do community service,” said Rotary Club of Seatuck Cove founder and charter member, Wendy Walsh-DeMaria. “With that in mind, we have a vested interest in what our youth needs, what our seniors need, and how we can help our neighbors.”

According to member Roseann Gencarelli, some of the money will go towards scholarships, and the remaining will go towards the different things they do year-round to help people, such as giving backpacks to children that cannot afford them, giving out Thanksgiving dinners, and at Christmastime, if money provides, the club adopts a senior and two families with children for.

The top male and female runner that had the fastest time were individually highlighted at the end of the event.  Jack Mikula was the fastest male runner with a time of 18 minutes and 22.58 seconds, while Lily Strebel was the fastest female runner with a time of 19 minutes and 28.22 seconds.  Additionally, runners were also divided into age groups based on intervals of 10, and the top three runners of each age group were honored. A total of 187 individuals registered to participate; about 167 runners were present on the day of the marathon itself.

“We work very closely with a running club [for the marathon],” Rotary Club of Seatuck Cove member Ruben Reyes said. “We [also] advertise; we put up sponsorships, [and] with the sponsorships, we get T-shirts designed [that participants can receive].”

The Rotary Club plans to host another 4 Leaf Clover 5K marathon next year.

“I’m already planning for a… bigger audience,” Reyes said.  “I would love to possibly have some food trucks in the future.”