Run for Rose Returns for Tenth Year – The Fire Island News
[Originally published in the Fire Island News print edition, August 2016]
“Have a strong race and we’ll see you here on the back deck for some Heineken Light and Snapple!” called out John DeGangi. An airhorn sounded and the runners waiting outside the Schooner in Ocean Bay Park took off. And just like that the tenth annual Run For Rose was underway.Runners came from all over Long Island on Sunday, August 14 for the race, as they have been doing for years. The race first began in 2007 when the DiGangi siblings wanted to find a way to help bring awareness to brain cancer and those fighting it. At the time their mom, Rose DiGangi, was fighting Glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. She passed away in October of 2007. Since then the siblings have continued their charitable work, bringing awareness to the disease while also supporting families whose loved ones were suffering. “Our mom was in the hospital and she was fighting the disease and other people are out there fighting the disease,” Anthony DiGangi explained, “All the funds we raised in the first five years went to funding research. Now all the funds that we raise go directly to patients who need financial assistance.”
The Rose DiGangi Foundation is currently working with three different families. The assistance they provide can range from paying rent and mortgages to medical expenses. In some cases, the foundation makes the difference between medical care or no care. DiGangi tells the story of being able to cover the $3,000 cost of a patient’s chemotherapy pills within several hours of hearing about the need. He attributes this to the differences between a larger foundation and a small foundation. “Normally a larger organization would have had a month process getting approval. They reached out and within fifteen minutes this gentleman had chemotherapy pills in his hand,” DiGangi described.
DiGangi and his siblings don’t just go above and beyond in the work they do with the foundation, they also go the extra mile to support the runners who show up each year for the 5k. As DiGangi put it, “Because it’s on Fire Island and we know it costs money to get there and you have to pay to park and pay to take the ferry and our registration fee is around the national average, we try to make it special.” This year, each and every finisher received a Run for Rose bottle opener on a lanyard, while the top three finishers in each age group also received medals.
The race also becomes more technologically advanced each year. This year finishers wore special bibs that tracked their progress electronically and texted each finisher when they crossed the finish line. The race has come quite a long way since the first year when runners would finish the race and immediately put their numbered bibs on a string to preserve the order they came in. The new technology also allowed John DiGangi to congratulate every runner by name over the loud speaker as they crossed the finish line. It’s the little touches like these that separate the Run for Rose from other five kilometer races. Anthony DiGangi expressed, “We go a little overboard for a 5k but that’s how my mom was. She would have a party for 10 people and cook for 30. Every year we try to make everyone feel special.”
Six-time finisher Nicole Grashow gushed, “They really do a great job. They really take care of us runners.” This year Nicole was able to run with her son Gavin who just meets the ten year old age requirement, demonstrating how the race is a family affair from all angles. In many ways, the support Nicole feels from the DiGangi family illustrates why the race thrives on Fire Island and why the family chose Fire Island as the location initially.
The DiGangi siblings grew up on the island, working at the Schooner Inn and are still very connected to the community. These connections make it easier to organize on the island and pull together the race each year. “Fire Island is like no other place I’ve been. Everybody’s on board with this race every year,” Anthony said, “It was easy for us because it’s our second home.” He continued, “Every year we’ve built upon the relationships with the same sponsors.” The Fire Island location thus serves many purposes. Having the race out here connects personally to the DiGangi family history, but also allows the siblings to organize the race with greater ease and create a special event that brings new people to the island each year.
This year the race featured 382 finishers. First to cross the finish line was Kevin Beach of West Sayville, New York with a time of 18:08. Right behind him was Andrew Baxter Sidamon-Eristoff of Princeton, New Jersey who came in first in the 15-19 age group. He finished at 18:41. The first female runner to complete the course, Tara Farrell of East Quogue, New York finished sixth overall with a time of 19:57. In the youngest age group, 10-14, first place went to Colin Mcmillan of New York City at a time of 23:55. After their spectacular finishes, the runners could be found on the back deck of the Schooner Inn for the after party, enjoying the music, food, drinks, and a view of the bay.
Each year the Run for Rose pulls together the Fire Island community for a wonderful day for a great cause. It’s a steadfast tradition that Ocean Bay Park and the whole island have held dear for ten years. As Anthony put it, “I don’t see the race ever going away. The second Sunday in August there will always be a Run for Rose.” The tenth anniversary of the race has truly cemented its role in the island’s history and yearly summer activities. Anthony expressed the importance of the purpose of the race, “It’s a way to celebrate my mom’s life and all those who have passed from brain cancer and to raise money for those who are fighting it right now. It’s just about helping people.”