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Mostly Cloudy Purple Ribbon Run set for July 25
When Justin Rockitter was 6, he lost his grandmother to pancreatic cancer. A decade later, he has found a way to keep her memory alive, while helping fight the very disease that claimed her life.
Rockitter, 17, is organizing this year’s Purple Ribbon Run, which will be held for the second time in Wantagh on Saturday, July 25. It is in honor of his grandmother, Susan Rockitter.
The first race was held last year at Forest Lake Elementary School, with about 370 runners. That was more than double what Rockitter expected. “Last year we exceeded expectations,” he said. “It was great. This year I hope to make it even bigger.”
His goal for this year’s race is to get between 400 and 500 runners, and Rockitter said early registration totals are promising. He is also hoping to exceed the $8,000 raised last year. Proceeds go to the Lustgarten Foundation, which is devoted to pancreatic cancer research.
The foundation helped his grandmother when she was sick, sending her to group therapy sessions, where she could speak with other people undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. Rockitter and his family also participate in the Lustgarten Foundation’s annual walk in October at Jones Beach.
The Purple Ribbon Run, a 5K race, is his brainchild. The soon-to-be senior at Wantagh High School is on the track and cross country teams, and has run more than 50 races in his life, so he said it would be the perfect way to honor his grandmother.
“I was so young when my grandma died,” he said, recalling how she loved nature, and would frequently take Rockitter and his younger brother, Ethan, to Jones Beach. They would look at hermit crabs and other creatures. “She was always teaching something.”
Rockitter said that organizing the first race last year took a lot of work, as he had to get permission from the Wantagh School District and the Town of Hempstead, seek out sponsors, advertise the event in running magazines, have T-shirts made up and find volunteers.
