Though the rain washed most of this past Sunday away, nearly 150 individuals took advantage of the beautiful morning in Lake Como, as they participated in the 8^th annual George McCormack 5k run.

This event began and ended at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como. Runners took off from right outside the establishment, ran through the borough and around the actual lake in Lake Como, and returned to Bar A five kilometers later.

The run is dedicated to George E. McCormack, who was the captain of the Lake Como Police Department when he died on July 26, 2004. He was just 44 years old when he died of a heart attack.

Lake Como’s Mayor Mike Ryan noted McCormack was a beloved figure in the borough, and all borough officials were quite happy to have such an event to honor his memory.

“This event is for the memory of someone who was so very committed to his work in Lake Como,” Ryan said. “He’s one of the good guys. (He) had a great character and always got the job done.”

Councilman Brian Wilton helped out at the race as well, directing the runners through the streets of the borough. He explained that proceeds from the race went to the George McCormack scholarship fund, which is given to a Lake Como resident heading into their first year of college.

Race organizer Phil Bohrman, who is also a patrolman with the Lake Como police department, noted the race was originally held around Halloween during its first year, but once it was decided this particular race should be dedicated to McCormack, they moved the date to the end of the summer and made it all about their fallen friend.

He added volunteers, as well as members of the Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC) did most of the work for this race.

“I have to give them all the credit,” he said referring to all of the volunteers helping out with the race effort. “We all just can’t wait for this to get underway.” 

Phil Hinck, of the JSRC, noted about 150 people registered for this run, and he was quite pleased with the turnout on such an early morning run.

“We do about five different runs through Lake Como throughout the year, and this is one of my favorite races to help out with because its for such a good cause,” he said.

Many of the runners in this particular event had the same strategy for running the 5k – just keep going.

“My goal is just to finish,” Eat Brunswick resident Steve Sullivan said with a laugh. “It’s my first year doing this race, and it is in such a great area by the shore as well.”

The race kicked off at 9 a.m. with a recording of Billy Joel singing the national anthem, followed by Bohrman yelling, “On your marks, get set, go!”

The winner of this race, Jesse Bender, came in at a time of 17:36. Bender, a Conway, PA native, noted he just wanted to keep up his normal pace while running, and he found out about this race just days ago. 

“I came here on vacation, looked up some races and saw they were holding this one,” he said. “Really was an awesome race too, the fact that it was all flat ground and there were no hills to run up was great.”

The first female to finish was Wall Township High School student Tracy Campbell, who came in at a time of 20:48. She also noted she just wanted to keep up her usual pace and felt good following the run. 

At the conclusion of the race, all participants were invited into Bar A, where they received awards for their work, as well as a barbeque courtesy of the establishment.