Marine Corps Charity 5K Disrupted By Bombing Returning To Seaside For 2017

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — A Marine Corps charity 5K run that was targeted in an terrorist attack last September will be returning to Seaside this fall, race officials and municipal officials announced Wednesday.

The Seaside Semper Five, which was canceled after a pipe bomb exploded in a garbage can along the race route, will be held Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, race director Frank Costello and Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas J. Boyd said.

This year, the race is moving north on the boardwalk from from Seaside Park to Seaside Heights to accommodate an increase in the number of participants, Costello said. The Seaside Semper Five race will start and finish in front of the Beachcomber, with the course being almost entirely on the boardwalk, with a beautiful view of the ocean.

Roughly 2,000 people were expected to run the race last year, Costello said. This year, registrations are running 10-fold higher than they were at this point in 2016, he said, with 75 percent of them coming from outside Ocean County, and 14 percent from out of state.

The race is a fundraiser for the MARSOC Foundation, which assists active duty and medically retired MARSOC (U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command) personnel and their families as well as to the families of Marines and sailors who have lost their lives in service to the United States. It has raised about $100,000 in its first three years, including $45,000 last year despite the bombing.

Boyd said the borough welcomed the opportunity to host the race.

"(We) jumped at the offer," Boyd said. "You don't have to ask me twice. To have them here is truly an honor."

In the wake of last year's bombing, Boyd said there will be extensive security to protect the runners, the spectators and everyone else. Drones with infrared cameras, platforms with infrared cameras scanning the area around the clock, bomb-sniffing dogs from the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, "many, many, many undercover officers" and support from a number of agencies, including the New Jersey State Police and the Department of Homeland Security will be in place, he said.

"The runners wanted to come to Seaside to feel safe, and we will make sure of that," Boyd said. "We're going to be protecting the protectors."

The pipe bomb that exploded Sept. 17, 2016, went off about 30 minutes after the race had been scheduled to start, but no one was injured because the race's start had been delayed due to an overwhelming number of registrations, Costello said.

"We had more than 2,000 people last year," he said, adding that the delay ended up protecting both racers and spectators who would have otherwise been in the area. "Thank God no one was injured."

Prosecutors have charged Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old naturalized United States citizen, in not only the Sept. 17 Seaside Semper Five 5K bombing, but in a Chelsea explosion later that day and in connection with five explosive devices found near the Elizabeth train station on Sept. 18. Rahami also is charged with five counts of attempted murder following a shootout on Sept. 19 with police that sent two Linden officers to the hospital. Rahimi was arrested later that day. He is awaiting trial, which is scheduled to be held in Union County.

The Seaside Semper Five was canceled, but runners who had been registered for that race were invited to run in the Tunnel to Towers race the following weekend at no charge by organizers of that race, which honors a firefighter who lost his life trying to rescue people from the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks.

Costello said the decision that the Seaside Semper Five, which is marking its fourth year, would go forward after the bombing was immediate.

"We wanted to show, just like the Boston Marathon, that we would not be deterred," Costello said by telephone Wednesday afternoon. "The response from the public has been overwhelmingly supportive."

"You have a lot of people who are very competitive runners," Costello said, "and a lot who are doing it just to support the military."

This year's race again will include participation by Marines who are stationed overseas; a group in Afghanistan "joined" the race during its second year, and the group participating doubled to 200 last year. Costello said in addition to the group in Afghanistan, a group of Marines in Bangkok, Thailand, will be taking part as well.

"It's inspiring to see the photos of the Marines running (overseas) while we are on the boardwalk," Costello said.

It also will include a prayer breakfast the day before the race to express gratitude that no one was injured in the bombing, Costello said.

“Our commitment remains steadfast to host this race on the beautiful Jersey Shore and continue the tradition we’ve created with this race for all to enjoy,” Costello said. “We hope for thousands of runners to participate this year in support of our military and to show the world that we have no fear from those that want to harm our communities.”

“We think it’s truly an honor to host this event in Seaside Heights,” Boyd said. "We stand behind our military in and around this community and we feel strongly that as a country, we should embrace events like this to continue to support our men and women who serve.”

Registration is now open, and runners and walkers can sign up by visiting www.SeasideSemperFive.org. The first 1,000 registrants will receive two tickets to a 2017 Philadelphia Phillies game, and Costello said registrants have eight Phillies games to choose from. The entrance fee is $45 before Sept. 9, 2017 and all entrants will receive a long sleeve quarter-zip Under Armour shirt.

MARSOC members are deployed in more than 40 countries around the world and the average MARSOC Critical Skills Operator is away from home and family more than 50 percent of the time, either on deployment or out-of-area training. During their service they are often exposed to combat and other hazardous activities that can have immediate and lasting impacts. As demand grows for the unique services of MARSOC, so too does the need for benevolent support.

The foundation aims to meet needs unmet by the government with an emphasis on building personal and family resiliency and supporting the full reintegration of MARSOC Marines and sailors following wounds, injuries and extended deployments, it says.

Race director Frank Costello and Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas J. Boyd unveil the official race poster for the 2017 Seaside Semper Five Marine Corps Charity 5K, which will be held Sept. 16. Photo courtesy of Coyne PR