Bridge To Beach 5K Marks 25 Years At Smith Point

Hundreds of runners and walkers are expected to cross the Smith Point Bridge Saturday as a popular community race celebrates its 25th anniversary while raising money for local literacy programs.

The 25th annual Smith Point Bridge “Bridge to Beach” 5K Run/Walk for Literacy will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 at Smith Point County Park in Shirley.

The course takes participants across the Smith Point Bridge, offering views of the Atlantic Ocean and Fire Island before finishing near the beach.

Proceeds benefit literacy initiatives supported by the Community Family Literacy Project, Inc., along with the William Floyd High School Scholarship Fund and Reach Out and Read program at Sun River Health Center.

“This event really represents so much of what our library and this community are about: bringing people together while creating opportunities for people of every age and background,” Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Director Lonna Castro said.

The race has grown during its quarter-century run. Last year’s event drew a record 527 finishers, including competitive runners, student athletes, families and other community residents.

“Twenty-five years is a remarkable milestone, and this race has become a tradition that people genuinely look forward to,” said Joseph A. Maiorana, president of the library’s Board of Trustees.

Money raised also helps the Community Family Literacy Project provide programs for learners of all ages and citizenship scholarships for adults preparing to become U.S. citizens. Three citizenship scholarships were awarded this year.

“The dollars raised through events like the 5K turn into very real opportunities for people in our community,” Executive Director Lindsay Davis said.

Check-in and race-day registration run from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The Smith Point Bridge is expected to close to traffic at approximately 8:45 a.m.

Advance registration costs $30 and race-day registration is $35. The event will be held rain or shine and is open to runners and walkers of all ability levels. Awards, refreshments and other activities will follow the race.