9/11 Run Raises Over $8,500, Draws About 340 Participants

Camden County was home to one of 50 locations nationally that played host to the Travis Manion Foundation’s seventh annual 5K Race on Sunday, according to camdencounty.com.

The run took place Sunday morning at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken. It was held in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

There were over 340 participants, and the race raised over $8,500.

The event is named in honor of 1st Lt. Travis Manion, who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.

He, his fellow Marines, and Iraqi Army counterparts, were ambushed while searching a suspected insurgent house. Manion led the counterattack against the enemy forces.

He was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper while aiding and drawing fire away from his wounded comrades. His selfless actions allowed every member of his patrol to survive.

The event began with a 9/11 ceremony at 9:11 a.m.

Laura Calabrese was the guest speaker. She was six years old when her father Daniel J. Calabrese Jr., was killed in the line of duty as a Winslow Township Police Officer.

She spoke about her memories of her father’s death and how she missed him. She expressed her sincere appreciation to the Camden County Hero Scholarship Fund for providing her opportunities and a college education that her mother as a single parent would not have been able to afford.

Senator Donald Norcross, Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli and radio personalities Dom Giordano and Frank Lewis all gave speeches.

They spoke about never forgetting 9/11 and the importance of the work and sacrifices made by our first responders.

The 5K race began at 10:28 a.m., to coincide with the time that the first World Trade Center tower fell.

The 5K began underneath a huge American flag draped beneath the fire engines of the Westmont and Collingswood Fire Departments. The race course was dotted with signs giving statistics from 9/11.

Omar Abdelhamid, of Cherry Hill, won the race with a time of 18 minutes, 44 seconds. Lindsey Ledbetter was the first female finisher, with a time of 22:36. Medals were awarded to the top 3 finishers in each age group. The winner in each age group also won a pair of passes for the Battleship New Jersey.

For more, visit camdencounty.com.

The attached photo of participants from the Gloucester Township Police Department was provided by the GTPD.