Local Company Revamps and Reinvigorates the Coronado 4th of July Run
Registration is now open! You can join your friends and neighbors by following this link to
7:00AM Crown City Classic
Run 7.4 miles on July 4th!
12K, 5K and Kids ½ mile fun run
Starts and Finishes at Tidelands Park
For more info: [email protected]
Sign-up Online at https://coronadotimes.com/4th
Jamie Monroe, owner of Easy Day Sports, is brimming with new ideas for the early morning start to a perfect 4th of July day in Coronado. Jamie (pictured below) has deep ties to Coronado, to the run itself, and to large race event management.
One of the first aspects that Coronado run enthusiasts will appreciate about Easy Day Sports is that it is a local company. Easy Day Sports is located at 124 Orange Avenue, right above the (now vacant) Coronado Firehouse Bar & Grill restaurant. The name Easy Day Sports reflects Jamie’s connection to Coronado. As a member of SEAL Team One, Jamie first came to Coronado in the 1990s. So part of the philosophy behind the name, Easy Day Sports, comes from the Navy SEALs themselves and their courageous motto: “The only easy day was yesterday.” The name also represents the commitment that runners have to make in their efforts, whether it is a 10-year-old child finishing the 5K or a weekend warrior completing the longer run for the first time.
Jamie has high goals for our 4th of July run. It is this goal-setting that reflects the most important part of the name, Easy Day Sports. Jamie explains that, “we [at Easy Day Sports] will make it easy (and fun) for you to raise money.” One of Jamie’s primary goals is to make money for the Islander Sports Foundation (ISF), in other words, for our Middle and High School athletes. The ISF is the sole charity that benefits from the run. This is especially important due to the failure of Prop E last November.
ISF now has complete control of the run, and they selected Easy Day Sports to manage the run. Jamie says that he is “committed to the Islander Sports Foundation,” and relishes the idea of supporting youth athletics. Jamie believes that parents and athletes will enjoy being able to volunteer and participate in the fundraising. Those who do participate, will receive a T-shirt that is beyond cool. Dry, the T-shirt looks camouflage green, but once you begin to sweat and the T-shirt gets wet, a patriotic American flag appears on the back and race emblems appear on the front.
The ISF was impressed with Jamie’s experience in managing big race events. In 2000, Jamie earned his MBA and went on to work for the Competitive Group as head of special events. There, he managed the Muddy Buddy Run for Prostate Cancer as well as numerous running events for the National Football League(NFL). amie keeps those NFL connections today. He manages races with both the NFL in New York City as well as with specific clubs around the nation. This includes the Chargers event that has 4,000 fans finishing at Qualcomm Stadium. Jamie was also a consultant for the San Francisco Women’s Nike Marathon. There he helped San Francisco solve the problem of needing a new finish line for 30,000 female athletes as well as busing them to and from hotels. Residents of Coronado can appreciate having a city inundated with a large number of people all on one day. Jamie has a lot of experience managing large numbers of people.
The race has a long and proud history. First started in 1974, the race was originally a half marathon. It was a wonderful run with a portion of the race on North Island. In 1989, however, the U.S. went into Iraq and no one was allowed on the bases. The race limped along for two more years, weaving through the streets of Coronado—on the 4th of July! Anyone who has been in Coronado on the 4th of July can appreciate how Herculean the organizing of those runs must have been.
In 1991, there was no race at all. That year Coronado run enthusiasts, John O’Brian, Dave Hansen and Dan Orr literally ran into Kathy Loper while running on Glorietta Blvd. She suggested that the race be reborn as a 15K (the 5K was added later.) A great deal of support came from Captain Jim Harris, who was the Captain of the Amphibious Base at the time. Dan Orr speaks fondly of Capt. Harris: “He had the common sense to realize that a bunch of [runners] in their underwear and tennis shoes weren’t going to be a problem. ” The new 15K route wove through Tidelands park, Glorietta Blvd, the Strand, and three miles on the Amphibious Base. Dan Orr points out that over the course of the years this race has raised between $250,000 – $300,000 for Coronado Youth Athletics.
Jamie knows it can be even better. The race will be re-branded this year. The new race name will be the “Crown City Classic.” Jamie believes this is perfect name for what he aptly calls our race: “America’s Race.” Jamie points out that in the past the race name was more of a descriptor and that a description is not necessary: “There are lots of marquee events that are not half marathons.” For California runners, the San Francisco “Bay to Breakers” run comes to mind.
Jamie intends to make our run a must-do event. This year the race will be a 12K or 7.4 miles in honor of the date, 7/4 or Fourth of July. The course will essentially stay the same; however, there will be only one mile on the Amphibious Base.
Ultimately, Jamie would like to have the run go down Orange Avenue. He points out that the main street is already blocked off and that it would be patriotic thrill for both runners and the thousands who have been patiently waiting for the parade to begin, to have the race blaze down Orange Avenue. Jamie believes this will emphasize the patriotism of the event. “This is America’s Race,” he says. Who could argue with him? There is no better place to experience and celebrate our gratefulness to live in America, than right here in Coronado.
If you want to join your neighbors and friends on July 4, 2015 and run/walk the 5K (3.1 miles) or run/jog the 12K (7.4 miles),register here. https://coronadotimes.com/4th Join the run or come on down and share in the excitement as runners make their way to personal victories.
Ann Marie Bryan
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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