See How They Run

The late 80s resession was over in 1991, and the Gulf War quickly ended the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. President Bush’s coalition of nations showed a united front against aggression. At home, the Rodney King beating and subsequent LA riots seemed far from Sea Girt, which faded back into peaceful obscurity after the police scandal of 1990.

Leaders debated simple issues like a decision to ban overnight summer parking in town. Convenience won out, residents needed to use the street for their own guests. SGES Teachers Shirley Norby and Gregory Ryan published their third book together. Shirley was the Librarian, and the series was a collection of directories of children’s authors and illustrators to inspire kids to widen their reading selections.

The Sea Girt 5k was started by Marcye Grough in 1991 as a Fun Run for the Recreation Department. By 1993, the race had been a great success. It was certified as an official 5k road race.

The defeat of the 1989 budget completely cut the Recreation department. The Recreation Commission, chaired by Norman Hall, decided no programs would be cut. The Commission was an advisory board of five residents that set the rules and recommended any recreational programs to the Council. They used volunteers to keep Rec programs in place until 1991, when Council restored a small Recreation budget, and one of Marcye Grough’s first actions was to start the race.

Image of the race start from the Sea Girt 5K website

By year three, keeping the race as part of the borough’s responsibility threatened the race. Proceeds were supposed to have gone into playground equipment, and while they raised $2,000, then $4,000, and then $8,000, the equipment had yet to be installed at the school. Organizers complained that the required bureaucracy of the town-organized race slowed decision-making, bidding and distributing funds.

Mike Crowley volunteered to take over the race. He was a member of the PTA with Dolores Randazzo and many other volunteers. They kept Marcye Grough involved and worked with the Recreation department as a beneficiary. The town provided the infrastructure, policing, and public works, helped with road closures and clean up, the Recreation Commission helped guide the process. A Race Committee, a charity, The Sea Girt 5k Inc. was formed to administer the race.

The race is responsible for helping keep up the quality of our playgrounds.

This gave the race a new life for a few years. Jean Kurtz led the effort, but it stalled in 2000. Mysteriously, the race vanished from the summer calendar in 2000. As 2001’s race was approaching, Mary Lyons decided Sea Girt needed the race. In just three months, she gathered 200 volunteers and drafted her husband, Pete. Mary, a freelance fitness instructor and mother of three, utilized her large network and resurrected the long-term viability of the race.

In 2006, they passed the baton to Mike D’Altrui. Mike jumped on the opportunity, and the 2006 race was the largest ever, with almost 1,500 participants. Mike, who is a marathon runner, worked with the race committee to vary themes and charities, although Sea Girt Recreation is still the primary annual beneficiary. They have sold primary naming rights from local companies, like William Sitar Realty and the Walker Group at UBS, and increased the sponsorships to raise over $75,000 in 2024. The race has grown to over 3,000 runners. 2025 will be Mike’s 20th year organizing the race. The race has not missed a year since 2000, including 2020 when COVID-19 shut down most road races. During the pandemic, they moved race day until October, and staggered the start times to spread out the runners. Mike is the volunteer chair of the Recreation Commission and helps not just the race but all the recreation in Sea Girt, including our courts and parks. A key concern in issues of municipal sports is liability, and conveniently, Mike is in the insurance business as a partner at Conover, Beyer in Manasquan.