Ode to the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk - runners raise funds for Hurricane Sandy hit area

Forty runners shout loudly raising spirits and funds for the badly hit Queens community

Before the race, all the runners felt some degree of pain but we found great pleasure in running! Running is liberating, joyful and, when we finish, triumphant. The race director commenced the race with a shout and shout we did as we ran on the beach from B.95th St. to the far end of the boardwalk on B.126th St. and then back to B. 95th St.

The beach was previously a source of misery due to the storm but we runners were reclaiming the beach as a source of inspiration to rebuild our homes once destroyed and renew our faith in humanity due to the outpouring of volunteers and help from all around the country. We are New Yorkers taking back our community, our dignity and our city pride! 

I ran with a damaged left knee due to an earlier injury but I enjoyed every step of the way. I expected to be the last one and I was. However, about one quarter mile from the finish, I noticed additional people on the beach — couples with baby strollers, a man on a bicycle, a couple exchanging a romantic kiss and, lo and behold, ten surfers in the water taking back the sea for humanity!  

For three weeks I was crying tears of sadness due to the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. As I arrived at the finish line with arms outstretched and hearing my fellow runners and new friends cheering me on—I had tears of joy for this beachfront run and thanked God for revealing to me a new way of giving thanks. AMEN! GO ROCKAWAY BOARDWALK!

**  Father Brian Jordan, chaplain of St. Francis College, Brooklyn, N.Y.
 

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