One runner finished the five-kilometre race in just over 19 minutes. Nearly an hour later, the final participants in the 10-kilometre section pulled themselves over the finish line, drenched in sweat.
Between them, roughly 400 participants and dozens of supporters made the eighth annual Rob Plunkett Memorial Torch Run the most successful yet, raising $25,000 for Special Olympics Ontario.
The run, held on May 13, was the first to feature the Race for Plunkett, a 5/10-kilometre timed run on Tom Taylor trail in Newmarket open to both York Regional Police members and members of the public. Runners were guided to the starting line by 30 Special Olympics athletes who helped carry the Torch of Hope from the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall.
“The athletes participated in the entire event,” said run organizer Constable Melanie Moffatt. “They mingled with participants, took photos with sponsors and reminded everybody of the reason they were running.”
Constable Moffatt alone raised more than $7,000 for Special Olympics.
Special Olympics athlete Madison Bailey-Borges joined the latest York Regional Police recruit class in leading runners through a spirited warm-up stretch. She also delivered the athlete’s oath in front of hundreds at the opening ceremony. Race participants included members of the Newmarket Stingrays Swim Club, students from Langstaff Secondary School, Chief Eric Jolliffe and Deputy Chiefs Tom Carrique and André Crawford.
At the finish line, runners were treated to snacks and prizes from dozens of event sponsors, including more than 600 scones served up by Cobs Bread. The day’s fastest runners, along with the top fundraisers, also received prizes from various York Region businesses.
See more photos on the York Regional Police Flickr feed.
