Locals Turn Out for Second Annual First Amendment 5K Race

The VOICE held its second annual First Amendment 5K Run-Walk on

October 1. Despite the poor weather forecast, nearly 70 participants

arrived to race for prizes and show support for both the award-winning

paper and the first amendment.

For Stephanie Nawracaj, the first place overall woman's finisher with a time of 22:41, the themes of freedom and charity were incentives for participating in the race. "I run a 5K every week. I'm into supporting (the causes) and donating my money," said Nawracaj.

As for her decision to support a student run newspaper? "I'm a student too, so it's always good to help out fellow students," said Nawracaj, a fulltime student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and who lives in Mercer County.

Nawracaj took home a trophy as well as a prize pack furnished by

sponsor Eastern MountainSports.

The first place men's finisher and the overall fastest runner was Carlos

Robles of Trenton, who finished in 18:27. Though he was among

the runners less concerned with the cause and more focused on the

race, Robles was impressed by the atmosphere of the event. "I was

more than happy to be here…there's a family atmosphere, and that's the

most important thing. It's a good way to start the weekend."

The First Amendment 5K served as both a fundraiser for the newspaper

as well as a charity event. The money raised through the event helps

the news staff upgrade equipment and cover the costs of

organizing the paper and participating in national conventions and