5K Family Run/Walk
Runners, some wearing ponchos to ward off rain, take off at the start of the 5K Family Run/Walk.
Paraprofessional Martaluz Baez (third from left) of PS 384 in Brooklyn is surrounded by her supportive family.
Stretching their legs and getting warmed up are teacher Maria Valdiri of PS 311 in the Bronx and her husband.
Runners with the right message from PS 223 in Queens are (from left) paraprofessional Susan Schilling, teacher Nanette Ezenekwe and retiree Denise Brown.
Heavy overnight rainstorms and skies that threatened more of the same did not deter the approximately 200 UFT members and their guests from turning out for the union’s 10th annual 5K Family Run/Walk in Coney Island.
The participants traversed the Brooklyn boardwalk on May 31 at whatever speed they preferred and helped raise about $7,000 for the UFT Disaster Relief Fund. They finished the trek by crossing home plate at Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team.
Meghan Carey, a teacher at PS 160 in Queens, said “the best part of the experience is coming together with my union siblings to exercise outside and share some laughs.”
UFT retiree Denise Brown, who now serves as a substitute teacher at PS 223 in Queens, said the event offered a chance to hang out with friends and like-minded UFT members. “It was a great day on the boardwalk, in the fresh air and getting some exercise,” she said.
First-time participant Melinda Ramirez, a special education teacher at Brooklyn’s PS 236, ran the distance with her 18-year-old son Alejandro. “We both beat our own personal-best times,” she said, “so that was exciting.”
Trophies were given to the top finishers, and all the participants received medals and other UFT swag. But Fort Hamilton HS teacher Ronald Leung, who brought along his 10-year-old daughter, said she left with the most important thing: seeing “the important work we do outside the classroom.”
Teacher Alexander Kromer (left) of Mott Hall II in Manhattan is congratulated by UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell after winning third place.
Randolph Duke, a paraprofessional at PS 40 in Manhattan, said what he loves most is that, as a run-or-walk event, it enables “many individuals to participate with family and friends regardless of their fitness levels” while also offering “great vibes and a great location.”
UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell, who organizes the 5K Family Run/Walk each year, said the event is on many members’ spring UFT to-do lists because it promotes health and physical fitness while bringing members together to help others by raising money for disaster relief.
“Plus,” Mantell said, “it’s just a great and fun family event!”