The 41st annual Verona UNICO Labor Day Classic will take place on Monday, September 4, and registration is now open.
The event begins at 9 a.m. with a 1 mile fun run and health walk around Verona Park followed by a 5 kilometer race at 9:30 a.m. This is one of the best 5K races held in northern New Jersey on a USATF-certified course through the streets of Verona with the start at Lakeside Avenue and a scenic finish through Verona Park.
Verona UNICO organizes this event along with the Essex Running Club. It is a major fundraiser for Verona UNICO charities that include local volunteer and non-profit organizations as well as scholarships for Verona high school seniors.
The sponsors for the 2023 race are as follows:
- PLATINUM: Hillcrest Farms, Aloia Law Firm LLC, Verona Heating and Cooling, and Jaeger Lumber.
- GOLD: Verona UNICO and UNICO National, Verona Place Apartments, SC Schumacher Chevrolet Auto Group, Eight Hills Caterers, Bagelwich Bakery, Hearth Realty Group, Verona Wine Cellar, McEvoy Home Inspections, Heavenly Finds Thrift Shop, Avenue Bistro, Lynne Mortimer, Frungillo Caterers, James C Fasanella/SMASH Insurance, Fleet Feet Sports of Montclair, Violante & Son, LLC, Profunctional Running, Willing Hearts Consignment Shop, O’Donnell Sign Company, 7/11 of Verona and the Verona PBA.
The 5K race is a USATF-NJ Grand Prix event with awards that include running shoes from Fleet Feet of Montclair to the first place overall winner and gift cards to the top three finishers in the five age groups.
Electronic chip timing of the 5K race will be administered by CompuScore and the complete results will be available on their website. There will be ribbons for each child who completes the fun run/health walk.
Pre-registration for the 5K is $30 ($25 for USATF members), and race day registration is $35. Pre-registration for the fun run and health walk is $18, and race day registration is $25. If you register by Tuesday, August 15 you will receive a t-shirt. After August 15, shirts will be given out on race day while supplies last.
Register now at http://runsignup.com/Verona. Online registration will close at midnight on Thursday, August 31. In-person registration and early packet pick-up is on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3 from noon to 4 p.m. at Fleet Feet, 503 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. Race day registration and packet pickup begins at 8 a.m. near the Boathouse in Verona Park. Cash & checks only at Fleet Feet and on Race Day. Please make checks payable to “Verona UNICO.”
This year’s event is dedicated in memory of John Alati, a man who proudly served his community as well as UNICO National as president and as Verona UNICO chapter president.
For more info visit www.EssexRunning.com or call James Fasanella of Verona UNICO at 201-674-1971.
