Seaford 5K draws hundreds

The pavement was a little wet, but that didn’t stop nearly 900 people from taking part in the Seaford Wellness Council’s annual Hot Chocolate Run last Saturday morning.

Fortunately for the runners and walkers, the race took place in between rain storms, with the temperature in the 50s. The 14th annual event is one of the most popular 5K races on Long Island, said Wellness Council President Mike DiSilvio.

The race began just south of Seaford High School. Runners headed north, then east on Jerusalem Avenue, south on Washington Avenue, west on Brooklyn Avenue and north on Seaman’s Neck Road before finishing at the high school, where participants then enjoyed hot chocolate, water, coffee and bagels. Many of the runners say they like the course because it is flat and there are only four turns.

“It’s a nice course. I do this race every year,” said 18-year-old Ryan Clifford, a senior a MacArthur High School, where he is a member of the track team. Clifford was the top finisher from Seaford and third overall among runners. Kim Powell was the top female finisher from Seaford. They both were honored at an awards ceremony in the auditorium following the race.

The top male finisher was Conor Shelley, 27, of Rockville Centre with a time of 15 minutes and 50 seconds, and the top female finisher was Shari Klarfeld, 33, of Plainview, who finished at 18:51. In the master’s division, for runners 40 and older, Brian Crowley, 41, of West Hempstead, and Elizabeth Waywell, 56, of Guelph, Canada, were the male and female winners.

Prizes were also awarded to winners in more than a dozen age groups.

Seaford High School track team members James Irwin, Ben Varnas and Matt Green all ran. “It’s just a fun race,” said Irwin, a senior. “It’s in Seaford, our town.”

Irwin added that he and his teammates run the course frequently to practice for their track meets. Varnas and Green both said they were happy with their performances in the Hot Chocolate Run.

Kristen Nersesian, 22, a Seaford High School graduate, said she has ran the race at least seven times. “I just love that you see so many people from the community running it together,” she said. “It’s not competitive.”

She clocked in with a finish time of about 29 minutes. Nercesian said she wasn’t bothered at all by the wet pavement.

Carolyn Fernandez, of Seaford, and 15 family members and friends ran or walked in memory of her sister-in-law, Mariaelena Brandmaier, who died in 2012. Fernandez said Brandmaier, a 1982 Seaford High School graduate, did the race during its first incarnation in the 1980s, and again from six years ago until her death. “This is a way of paying tribute to her,” Fernandez said. “She wanted to do the race every year.”

Richie McArdle, who ran in the master’s division, has done the race for several years. As a member of the Lions Club, he said he enjoys taking part in anything that supports the Seaford community.

The Hot Chocolate Run is the Wellness Council’s major fundraiser of the year, and funds go to support various initiatives in Seaford. “It’s for a good cause,” DiSilvio said, “because all of the dollars go back into the community.”

DiSilvio ran himself, finishing with a time of 27:40, but said that would have been better if he didn’t stop to take pictures along the way. He thanked all the volunteers who performed many tasks, as well as the Seaford Manor Student Council which handed out water along the course. DiSilvio said that the race runs “like clockwork.”