Since the early 2000s, Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Kensington, Maryland, has hosted its Cardinal 5K race and half-mile Fun Run every other year to raise money for the school. This year, the race took place on the morning of Saturday April 27, bringing 569 members of the community and school together.
Holy Redeemer’s principal Tommy Corrigan said the weather was perfect for running. Overcast conditions kept the air cool, and the rain was only a drizzle.
“It was a great day, a great turnout, (and) great positive vibes,” Corrigan said.
Participants paid $35 for the 5K and $30 for the Fun Run, which was geared toward younger runners. The event raised around $35,000, which will go toward improving academics and facilities at the school and faculty expenses.
“We just released our next five-year strategic plan for the school under the four pillars of the archdiocese that we follow at Holy Redeemer,” Corrigan said. “Generally, anything that is of significant money we try to make sure that it is aligned with something that is on our strategic plan.”
Bruce Hoffman, a seventh-grade student at Holy Redeemer, came in third place, completing the race in 20 minutes and 32 seconds.
“We had a lot of faculty members in the race, and that was great… (We had) a little bit of healthy competition in there, and bragging rights,” said Corrigan, who noted the runners included Father Kyle Vance, a parochial vicar at Holy Redeemer Parish.
The principal noted that the neighborhood is fairly hilly. “I did have a lot of people who were coming back and saying they were surprised at the number of hills they had to navigate as they ran,” Corrigan said.
The race received sponsorships from more than 30 local businesses as well.
