This year marked the 12th anniversary of the Petruccelli 5K Race/Walk, begun by the Petruccelli family in honor of St. Mary’s student John Petruccelli, who was killed in his senior year when he was hit by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle. A scholarship was also started by the family in honor of John, and the race has grown into a Hawktoberfest event that boasted 80 pre-registered runners this year.

Every year, the hosts of the race raise money from participants and online contributions, collecting $350 before the starting shot was fired on Oct. 2 to start the race. This year’s funds will be donated to the College’s Saferide program.

After registration at 7:15 a.m. on race day, runners took their marks at 8 a.m. in front of the newly-renovated Alumni Rectory to start the race. The run itself is 3.1 miles (5 km), and follows paths through Historic St. Mary’s City.

The race path is flat for about 1.5 miles, and travels across more hilly roads for 1.6 miles. Prizes were awarded to winners around 9 a.m. following the race.

The Chesapeake Running Club was the official timekeeper for the event, and prizes were provided by Road ID. Race results will be posted on the Chesapeake Running Club’s website.

Posted in Sports | Tags: Drunk Driving, Fund Raising, Petruccelli 5K Run, Scholarship | Print View