The first annual Bill Sylvia 5K Road Race to Benefit Catholic Media will be held on Saturday, May 14 beginning at 10:00 am from St. Anthony’s Chapel, 35 Gault Road in West Wareham, MA.
The 3.4-mile course will loop around the surrounding area of West Wareham and return back to St. Anthony’s Chapel.
A lunch and awards ceremony will immediately follow the race in the parish hall of St. Patrick’s Parish, 82 High Street in Wareham. Awards will be given to the top runners, male and female, in each age category.
All proceeds from the event will benefit The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Fall River Diocese, and Life With Christ Radio, a proposed Catholic radio station on Cape Cod.
Race namesake Bill Sylvia has been a well-known fixture at countless road races in the Greater New Bedford area over the years. Now this faithful Catholic and member of St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham is hoping his “running mates” will step up and help him with a cause that is near and dear to his heart.
For more than 50 years, Sylvia said he’s “run in just about every major race and marathon in the area.”
“I’m well-known among runners in this area,” he said. “A lot of times I show up at races and they joke, ‘Just give Bill the trophy now.’”
But a serious health scare two years ago sidetracked what had been an unbroken record of race wins for the longtime marathoner.
For the past two years, instead of beating the pavement, Sylvia has been busy beating the cancer inside him.
Not surprisingly, he once again found himself inside the winner’s circle.
“I’m completely cancer-free now,” Sylvia said. “I have to go for a CAT scan every year, just to make sure. I’m due again in June, but so far – knock on wood – I’ve been feeling good.”
The first annual Bill Sylvia 5K is a way to thank him for his many years of dedication to the sport – and help two vital Church outlets continue their important missions.
Advance registration is just $20 per person and the first 50 registrants will receive a free commemorative T-shirt.
For more information, contact Kevin Ward, president of Life With Christ Radio, at 508-291-0949.
To register online, visit www.runreg.com/sylvia5k.