Bridgewater Mayor To Run New York City Marathon For Charity

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater Township Mayor Matthew Moench is pounding the pavement, literally, as he trains to run his first full marathon.

Moench is currently training to run the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 6 for the Children's Specialized Hospital.

"As a parent, nothing is more important to us than the safety, health, and well-being of our children. The doctors, nurses, staff, and professionals have touched the lives of thousands of families, including many from my community of Bridgewater. While my family has never needed to use CSH, I'm comforted to know that CSH is there and working on behalf of those families and children that need specialized help," said Moench.

Moench didn't realize there were a number of families in Bridgewater who had children treated at Children's Specialized Hospital until he went to an event recently.

"One of the councilman's grandsons was treated there. They do a lot of really good work," said Moench.

He then made it his mission to fundraise for the hospital with the goal to raise $2,500 before race day. He currently has around $1,500.

Running a marathon has always been a goal for Moench, who began running 7 years ago with his sister Megan.

He ran his first race with his sister at the 5K Legal Runaround in Somerville.

"I thought I was going to pass out. It was 100 degrees and I was so afraid to be in last place that I ran as fast as I could in the first mile and had to walk rest. When I got to the finish I thought I had to beat that," said Moench.

Since then he ran many more 5K races before upgrading to 10ks and eventually a half marathon. He then elevated his goal to run a full marathon, 26.2 miles.

In 2020, Moench had signed up for a full marathon but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Then in 2021, Moench signed up for a full in Savannah, Georgia. However, the morning of the race it was canceled for the weather.

So this will be Moench's third attempt at completing his goal.

He is using this opportunity as he trains to run around all of the township neighborhoods. His long runs have allowed him to explore each part of Bridgewater.

Residents will most likely catch him running down Washington Valley Road through Martinsville into Warren and Watchung.

To donate to Moench's cause visit his fundraising site here. On race day, locals can cheer Moench on by watching on TV or downloading the app to track his progress at nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon/race-day/mobile-app.

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