If there were ever any doubts about the spirit and generosity of New Yorkers in tough economic times, those were laid to rest April 18 when hundreds of runners, walkers and their supporters showed up for Concern Worldwide’s annual 4-mile Fun/Run to raise money in the fight against global hunger. We were absolutely stunned by the turnout,” said Siobhan Walsh, Concern’s executive director. “This fantastic crowd showed us that despite hard economic times, people are willing to go the extra mile to help those who have nothing and to work with Concern to ‘be the difference’ for the almost one billion people around the world who go to bed hungry every night,” she added. The Fun Run, now in its eleventh year in New York, raised more than $110,000, which will be used to help provide lifesaving treatment to thousands of severely malnourished children in the world’s poorest countries, such as Niger and Ethiopia and conflict-torn communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad. Warm spring weather and bright sun marked the day, which got officially underway when Miss Africa USA, South-African born Nyasha Zimucha, briefly saluted the runners and sounded the horn to start the race at 9.30AM sharp. Brendan O’Donoghue, manager of the Pig & Whistle pub in Times Square, was the first man to cross the finish line at 22:55. Dianne McKenna was the fastest female runner, completing the race at 25:52. Runners up, on the men’s side, were Chris Solarz (23:06) in second place, and Jerry Macari (23:22) in third. Monika Nemeth (25:52) and Katherine Riposta (26:22) finished second and third among women participants. Team captain Michael Traynor, owner of the Mad Hatter Saloon, won the prize for the largest Pub Team, with 151 runners. Led by their captain, Shane Naughton, the Pyramid Schemers took the prize for the largest regular team, with 92 runners. The Pyramid Schemers raised the most sponsorship of all the regular teams, while the Mad Hatter Team raised the most funds of all the Pub Teams. Joan Carroll, John Murphy, Mary Devine, Terry Burke and Aya Egawa are recognized as star individual fundraisers. Special thanks to photographer Ben Asen. Huge thanks to our Race Director, John Volpe, and his team: Mary Devine, Stu & Eunice Patchen, Jake LaSala, and MJ Furman, without whose help this event wouldn’t be possible. Finally, a very special thanks to our almost 70 volunteers and staff who came out on Saturday morning to make the Fun Run such a huge success. Concern expresses its warm appreciation for the contributions of this year’s sponsors: Urban Athletics New York City Parks Department CentralPark.com Johnny Foxes Taphouse & Grille On behalf of thousands the very poorest families and individuals around the world whose lives are touched by the work of Concern, we extend a huge “thank you” to all the runners, walkers and supporters who help make our vital work possible. Miss Africa USA Nyasha Zimucha Presents Trophy to the 2009 Fun Run Winner Brendan O’Donnohue. For More information please visit www.concernusa.org
