By Rita J. Egan

An annual race proves it can go the distance.

The organizers of the ShopRite Run the Farm 4-mile Run/Walk, which benefits Bethel Hobbs Community Farm in Centereach, will celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 10. Brookhaven Town Clerk Kevin LaValle and Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Manzella will co-host the annual challenge that ShopRite of Selden is sponsoring.

LaValle, former councilman for Brookhaven’s 3rd Town Council District, said he was pleased when Manzella expressed interest in helping to organize and host the race when he was elected to fill LaValle’s vacant seat last year.

Manzella said he’s happy to help and bring the race to the next level.

“Kevin has done such a fantastic job,” the councilman said.

He described the farm as a “hidden gem.”

“The 3rd District where I live is a very developed district, very business-oriented district, so to have this little farm tucked away in the middle of it, it’s just a nice change of pace,” Manzella said.

Before his tenure in the Town of Brookhaven, LaValle worked with the late Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore. He said that after the two visited the 11-acre community farm and met with its founder and director, Ann Pellegrino, they knew they had to help.

“Tom and I got back into the car after taking the tour, and literally, at the same moment, we both looked at each other and said, ‘We need to do something for this place,’ because that’s how much of an impression that first tour really meant to us,” LaValle said.

He added that while Muratore initially was able to secure county grants for the farm, when Suffolk County had to tighten its budget, the legislator couldn’t acquire the same funding he once did. LaValle, at the time a councilman, sat down with Pellegrino and discussed the idea of hosting a race, the proceeds of which would benefit the farm.

“It turned out to be a big hit,” Pellegrino said. “We get a good number of people, and they help us raise funds that go directly into the farm allowing us to do what we need to do.”

The farm provides produce for those experiencing food insecurity in the community. Over the years, it has also added an educational element where students can learn about farming. Volunteers help grow from 70,000 to 100,000 pounds of food donated to more than a dozen food pantries throughout the Island. The farm also has a stand where visitors can buy vegetables. 

Recently, Pellegrino said one food pantry, which feeds more than 100 families over the course of a few days, stopped by for 200 bunches each of collard greens and Swiss chard.

She added that many race participants tell her they never knew the farm existed, and some have come back to visit. Others work for companies that will organize ways to give back to the community farm, whether by donating funds or physically helping out, after they hear about it from their employee.

“We get all walks of life and all age groups,” she said. “It’s pretty impressive seeing older runners run it when I know I can’t.”

Pellegrino, LaValle and Manzella all said they have never run in the race. While the elected officials mingle with participants as they cross the finish line and assist those representing community groups, such as Girl Scouts who hand out water, Pellegrino works at the farmstand. She said this year, she will have help and will be able to be at the start line, something she has only been able to do once since the event started.

Manzella said he would like to run in the race one day, especially after seeing his chief of staff, Thomas Heinlein, participate in the challenge and receive a trophy. The councilman added that last year, he was surprised that in the time it took him to walk from the starting line at Oxhead Elementary School to the farm, a shorter distance than the overall race path, someone was already approaching the finish line.

The race includes two miles of even terrain followed by two challenging miles, which include a mile of gentle slope followed by two demanding climbs. Runners begin at the elementary school, travel through the streets of Centereach and end at Bethel Hobbs Community Farm.

“It’s a challenge, and it’s a beautiful course,” LaValle said. “Runners love it. It’s through the streets of Centereach, so it’s very shaded throughout a lot of the course.”

On average, more than 250 runners enter the race, and approximately 100 to 200 people come to cheer participants on, the town clerk said. In each age group, there are awards for the top three runners, and there are also special recognitions, including awarding the fastest runner who is an active or past member of the military. People come from all over the Island to enter, LaValle added. In 2019, two winners, a father and son, were from France.

Soon after Run the Farm was created, it was made official by USA Track & Field and timed and kept track of like other official races. This year is the first time the 4-mile run/walk will have a lead sponsor, ShopRite of Selden. LaValle said Charles Gallagher, president of Gallagher Family Markets, which owns the supermarket, donated money to the event in previous years. One day while shopping, LaValle was talking with Gallagher, and he decided to be a lead sponsor to show his support for the community event.

Pellegrino said she’s grateful LaValle approached her about organizing a race 10 years ago.  

The funds raised help with general expenses and larger projects. In the past, proceeds from the race have been used to repair the barn roof, update the irrigation system and construct a wheelchair garden. In the future, she said the farmstand will need some work.

“It’s just a tremendous help when the community comes together to support what we’re doing the way we’re doing it,” Pellegrino said.

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ShopRite Run the Farm 4-Mile Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10, rain or shine. Fun Run for children begins at 8:30 a.m., and the 4-mile challenge starts at 9 a.m. The cost to enter is $30 for those who pre-register and $35 the day of the race; $5 for  children under the age of 10. The challenge starts at Oxhead Elementary School, 144 Oxhead Road, Centereach, and ends at Bethel Hobbs Community Farm, located at 178 Oxhead Road, Centereach. To register in advance, visit events.elitefeats.com/24runthefarm.