Oftentimes in this blog, we highlight the somewhat goofy and irreverent aspects of our team. At this point, I would like to break from the norm and talk about a noble and noteworthy endeavor from freshman cross country team member Mark Valentino.
When Mark was a student-athlete back home in Smithtown, Long Island, he created a road race and fundraiser in honor of his coach Patrick Harmon, who passed away from brain cancer. The second annual Pat Harmon Race for a Cure is Sunday morning back home in Long Island. Now that Mark is in Poughkeepsie, he is no longer directly involved in the day-to-day organization of the race, but he will be there for the race and for the cause.
For those that are interested in donating to the race, the link is www.crowdrise.com/patharmonraceforcure.
The following is background information, excerpted from the Web site above and from Newsday:
In life, Coach Patrick Harmon never gave in. While battling brain cancer for four years, Coach Harmon did not allow his illness to interfere with his love of teaching and coaching. He kept up with his work schedule, despite suffering from the side effects of his medical treatments. Coach Harmon, who lived in Greenlawn and was a physical education teacher and track and football coach at the Smithtown High Schools, died July 17, 2010. Even when he was undergoing painful cancer treatment, Harmon remained a selfless person. He started coaching in 1999 and teaching in 2006. Harmon was an empathetic coach who valued his player's feelings over winning. He was "the greatest coach you could have.
Kudos to Mark for his work on behalf of his former coach.
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