St Pat’s 2016
Feb. 27, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
A local running group will host a community run in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, while a few members have plans to run more than 20 miles to raise money for the Queens Legal Aid Society.
The Woodside Sunnyside Runners will host the third annual Community Run For All on March 5, before the St. Pat’s For All Parade.
The group will run an “Irish Mile,” or 2.05 kilometers, as a way to foster community spirit and get some exercise. The run will incorporate much of the St. Pat’s For All Parade route.
The run will kick off at Skillman Avenue and 49th Street with a group warm up at 12:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Last year, more than 50 runners participated, with about 75 expected this year.
Prior to the community run, however, Woodside Sunnyside Runners members Ann Sansaricq, Jose Baizan and Patrick Lewis plan to run the St. Pat’s for All parade route 32 times in honor of the 32 counties in Ireland as a fundraiser for the Legal Aid Society in Queens.
Legal Aid offers legal services to those who cannot afford them, including helping with deportation defense and legal permanent residence and citizen applications.
Ann Sansaricq
The fundraiser, Sansaricq said, has already generated about $1,400. She said she would like to see it reach $3,200, or $100 for every county in Ireland and every lap they run.
They are raising money through donations, and also offering a chance to “color your county,” allowing people to pay $100 and put their name on a county of their choice on a map of Ireland.
The three runners will set out on their 32 laps up and down Skillman Avenue at 8:30 a.m., and welcome anyone to join them for a piece of the run, or just to cheer them on, Sansaricq said.
For more information on the “Run For All” visit https://www.meetup.com/Woodside-Sunnyside-Runners/events/237469722/.
To donate to the fundraiser contact info@woodsidesunnysiderunners.com or go to https://15034.thankyou4caring.org/ and specify that the donation is on behalf of the Woodside Sunnyside Runners.
St. Pat’s for All parade route
