Homestretch for Heroes 5K raises $30K for returning military
And they're off!
For the fifth year, officials at Arlington Park Racecourse kicked off their Arlington Million festivities with a race of a different sort last week — a 5K that drew more than 600 runners from across the suburbs.
The race and its sponsors raised money for Palatine-based organization Salute, Inc., whose mission is to provide emergency assistance to returning military and help fill in the gaps as they transition to civilian life.
“What a fantastic opportunity this is for us,” says Mary Beth Beiersdorf, who co-founded Salute in 2003 with her husband, Will. She now serves as executive director.
The race, called Homestretch for Heroes, had all sorts of horse racing themes; from hearing bugler Monica Benson signal the runners to the start, to running on the track itself — and crossing its finish line.
Track announcer John Dooley announced each finisher as they came in, and fans were able to watch them on the track's Jumbotron. Afterward, racers and their fans enjoyed their own party in the park with refreshments and entertainment provided by the track.
There were no wagers on the finishers, but the overall winners were presented with win, place and show awards. For men, they went to Randall Kester of Elk Grove Village, the overall men's winner, as well as second-place finisher Josh Ruston of Deerfield and Victor Viking of Arlington Heights, who placed third.
Among women, Amanda Cortese of Mount Prospect was the overall winner, followed by Angela Homberg of Downers Grove and Rachel McDonald of Wheaton.
Tony Petrillo, general manager of the racetrack, said the race came out of the track's commitment to honoring the military. Over the years, they have honored other military organizations as well as welcomed Medal of Honor recipients, but Salute, he said, is local.
“To kick off Million week, we were looking for ways to connect us to the community and Salute was the perfect organization,” Petrillo said. “It brings us together with a great community organization that supports the military.”
Interspersed among the runners were members of Salute's marathon team, as well as corporate team members. In all, the event drew 17 suburban companies to enter teams, which is a big jump over last year's event, Beiersdorf says.
“The growth of the corporate teams has been a win-win for us,” Beiersdorf said. “Not only are we drawing new groups of supporters, but they also want to come back and volunteer.”
The top corporate teams, in terms of participants and money raised, included Guaranteed Trust Life of Glenview, Siemens of Hoffman Estates, Panasonic of Rolling Meadows and United Scrap Metal of Cicero.
In all, the event raised more than $30,000 for Salute's direct assistance programs for returning veterans. Already this year, Beiersdorf says they have helped more than 400 veterans and their families.
Some of the programs they support include the Lovell Walk-In Center for the Homeless at Great Lakes Naval Base, as well as the Road Home Program at Rush University Medical Center. This program helps veterans heal from the invisible wounds of war including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and depression.