Editorial

Shelter Island Reporter Editorial: A race to remember

JUDY CARD PHOTO | The start of a wet and wonderful Shelter Island day.
JUDY CARD PHOTO | The start of a wet and wonderful Shelter Island day.

Shelter Island is the perfect sport for distance runs, and not just for the physical beauty that runners race through, but for the spirit of those who turn out to cheer the athletes on their quest.

No records were set for the 36th annual running of the Island’s signature sporting event and weekend party, except if you count that it’s the first time the race was run in the rain.

Physical beauty, with the heavens opening up above the Island all afternoon? Yes.

Photographers will tell you that rainy days can be exceptionally beautiful, with colors becoming more vivid than on the sunniest day. With the runners’ bright shorts and shirts and many with popsicle-colored shoes, as well as the spectators’ bright umbrellas and rain gear, the Island was alive with light and color on a particularly gray and wet summer day.

Elsewhere in this edition of the Reporter you’ll read praise for Mary Ellen Adipietro, Dr. Frank Adipietro — the definition of the eternal optimist and inspirational speaker, telling everyone it wasn’t raining even as it poured — Cliff Clark and newcomer Julie Bliss, the four individuals, along with the hundreds of volunteers they led, who made Saturday happen. We’ll say it again: Thank you for your time and tireless work. Your community salutes you.

It was a heroic effort across the board, where individuals, running groups and businesses, the Police Department and town government worked seamlessly for the common good. The crowds of Islanders who showed up on what some would say was a dismal afternoon, and the inspiring athletes of all ages, levels and conditions, made it a day to remember.

The Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Read, did a remarkable job — aided by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police — of keeping everyone safe without ham-handed tactics.

Here’s a shout out to the Highway Department, led by Superintendent Jay Card Jr., for making the Island look great and working to clean up after the race was run.

Shelter Island, take a well-deserved bow.