Increased field expected for second Matawan 5K Saturday morning event will raise money for various charities BY JOHN SUTTON Correspondent MATAWAN - The Matawan Rotary Charitable Foundation, along with the New Jersey Shore Builders Association, will sponsor the second annual Matawan 5K Run and Walk on July 21 starting in Terhune Park. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 8:30 a.m. Runners will begin at Terhune Park, 201 Broad St., and weave through the borough. The race will take place rain or shine. Nancy Haddock, of the Matawan Rotary Club, is expecting this year's run to be twice the size of the inaugural run last year. Bolstering Haddock's expectation is the fact that this year's run will be sanctioned. This new feature will allow runners to use the race for competitive purposes, because they will be able to gain points that can be used in the future toward marathons and other competitive races. Haddock said that members from local runners clubs took part last year, and she expects that more will this year. She also believes that because of the increased field and point system, even more competitive runners will join the race. Like last year's race, half of the money raised for the event will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, and the balance will go to other various charities around Matawan. The connection with Habitat for Humanity was formed through a Borough Council member who had previous connections with the organization. The funds will be raised through entry fees, donations and sponsorships, which the race is still looking for. Last year, over $10,000 was raised by the run, and with the upgrades that have been made to the event, they hope to double that number this year, Haddock said. Haddock said that the Rotary Club, which meets every Thursday at 12:15 p.m. at the Buttonwood Manor on Route 34 in Matawan, hopes to gain new ideas and members through events like Matawan 5K. "We are looking for new members to fill our ranks, new ideas, new projects, and hopefully this run will provide us with this," Haddock said. The race-day entry fee is $25. For more information, runners can visit www.matawanrotary.org.