The 14th annual Asbury Park Sheehan Classic 5K road race is Aug. 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m, and it promises to be fun for both runners and spectators.
The Jersey Shore Running Club will present the Asbury Park Sheehan Classic 5K road race and Kids’ Races. The Sheehan Classic and Asbury Park 5K race committees found the merging of the two events last year into the Asbury Park Sheehan Classic was a great success.
The 5K race and Kids’ Races will take place on Aug. 12 in Asbury Park. Combining the 22-year history of the Red Bank race with the 12 of knowledge and constant growth of the Asbury Park 5K should produce a race with an expected 2,500 participants.
The George Sheehan Classic began in 1981 as the Asbury Park 10K Classic and quickly became one of the major road running events on the national calendar. The race moved to Red Bank in 1994 and was renamed to honor the memory of Dr. George Sheehan, the prominent author, philosopher and area physician.
The Asbury Park 5K tradition of a tie-dyed event will continue with the shirts, awards, medals and many other items in festive colors.
This is a local race presented by local organizations with cooperation from the Shore Athletic Club, the Jersey Shore Running Club and the Freehold Area Running Club to raise funds for local Jersey Shore non-profits, such as the Asbury Park Music Foundation, Mary’s Place by the Sea, Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, Asbury Park, and other local organizations that can often be overlooked by larger fundraisers.
Registration for the Classic 5K is open to all and registration fee is $30 through Aug. 11 and $35 on race day, Aug. 12. The Asbury Park course is fast, flat and spectator friendly — those who come to watch will get to see the runners pass twice, as the race features a double-loop course that begins at Bradley Park opposite Convention Hall at Sunset and Ocean avenues. The course proceeds along Ocean Avenue prior to turning left onto Fifth Avenue. Another left will take runners onto Grand Avenue, then a slight left onto Cookman Avenue and back to Ocean Avenue before going around again with the final loop taking the runners up on the boardwalk to the finish.
With Kids’ Races immediately following the Classic 5K race in the park, it will be a fun-filled day for the entire family. The Kids’ distances vary with the child’s age, and all children receive a medal and refreshments. Also, families can stop by the sponsor and merchant tables in Bradley Park for sampling and giveaways.
Other amenities for the race include a massage tent so you can loosen up those tired muscles, courtesy of AMTA massage volunteers, a post-race party at Robinson’s Ale House, and the famous traditional, retro design tie-dyed racing shirt that guarantees no two shirts are alike that every runner and volunteer receives for their participation.
The race has benefited from the support of many Jersey Shore businesses and organizations over the years, including Friends of the Spring Lake Five, Spark Fitness, McLoone’s Supper Club, iStar, AsburyParkNow.com, Bimbo Bakeries, New Jersey Natural Gas, Meridian Health, CBRE, Campbell, Foley, Delano & Adams, LLC., The John C. Conover Agency, Robert A. Galizio, Esq., Pringle-Quinn-Anzano, Dr. T Shirt and Madison Marquette.
According to race director Phil Hinck, 1,765 runners completed the race in 2015, and he expects over 2,000 finishers this year. He stated the Asbury Park race began 14 years ago, and organizers picked the second Saturday in August for the 5K to pay tribute to the former Asbury Park 10K Classic, which moved up the Parkway to Red Bank in the 1990s to become the Sheehan Classic (marathon great Bill Rodgers won the first Asbury Park 10K in 1982). Hinck said 5K was selected as the distance to enable more people to compete.
“The casual runner nowadays runs 1 or 2 miles and does other activities like cycling,” Hinck said. “To them, 5 miles seems a long way.”
The race is geared toward runners of all abilities, and Hinck encourages runners and walkers alike to come out, have fun and spend a day at the beach.
Visit www.asburypark5k.org to register online or request a registration form from the Jersey Shore Running Club website. You can also register in person on Aug. 12 at the Packet Pickup taking place 6-7:30 p.m. in Bradley Park across from Convention Hall. “Last Minute Lous” can sign up Aug. 12 across from Convention Hall on Ocean Avenue starting at 7 a.m.
The Asbury Park 5K is the third event of the Jersey Shore Golden Grand Prix, a series of races that offers awards to overall winners and age-group category winners sponsored by McLoone’s. The four races are the Spring Lake 5, Belmar 5, Asbury Park Sheehan Classic and the Pier House 5K, held on Labor Day in Long Branch. Further information about the series can be found at www. jsgrandprix.com.
