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06/06/2018 08:30 AMAs Dan Montgomery will tell you, “Runners run.” It’s a mantra he shares with friend and running buddy Mike Song. In the past four months, it’s helped strike a bit of a balance, especially in a world suddenly without Mike’s son, Ethan.
It’s also been a driving force as Mike and his wife, Kristin, together with Dan and their friends Scott Markovich and Melanie DiNicola, steer the first annual #SongStrong5K and Kids Fun Run, with its “Keep Kids Safe” theme. Set for Saturday, June 9 at Guilford fairgrounds. All event proceeds benefit causes and programs developed and supported by the Ethan Miller Song Foundation, established after Ethan lost his life by gunshot in Guilford on Jan. 31, at the age of 15.
Dan says support for the run has crossed town lines into Branford, where #SongStrong5K lawn signs are being displayed at prominent locations by residents and organizations to help spread the word. Branford’s high schoolers and teams are among those registered for the event, continuing a show of support by Branford’s youth that’s been going out to the Song family.
“Within days of the tragedy, other teams here and in other towns were wearing Song Strong shirts, like the Branford wrestling team,” says Dan. “They’re all doing the right thing for the Song family.”
Dan adds the Branford High School football team recently signed on to assist at the event, with plans to help out at the 5K by lining the course to rally runners as they pass. The USA Track & Field certified 5K will be followed by post-race food, drinks, exhibits, a DJ, and more. All event info is at www.songstrong.org. Day-of 5K registration, $30; and Kids Run registration, $5; opens at 8:30 a.m. The Kids Race starts at 9:45 a.m., followed by the 5K at 10 a.m.
“A lot of people have told me they’ll sign up that morning, so we expect several hundred to be there that morning to sign up for race day,” says Dan, adding, “We’re taking a birds’ eye view [drone] photo, and I would love to see 500 people in race shirts.”
As race director and event co-chair with Markovich, Dan receives registration updates frequently (advance registration closed June 5) and shares many inspiring notes with the steering committee.
“We have people that are over 70 years old running this race. We have kids as young as three years old that are going to run in the fun run. You see donations come in, you see teams come in. Scott Markovich coaches travel basketball each year [which] raised several thousand dollars, in addition to all the other stuff he’s done.”
Markovich, who is also the event’s corporate sponsorship chair, brought in his company, Aetna Inc., as title sponsor, notes Dan. In addition to financial support, Aetna is bringing at least 50 volunteers to assist on race day. #SongStrong5K is also receiving significant sponsorship support from media sponsor Fox61.
Dan met the Song family shortly after moving to Guilford in 2009. Dan, his wife and their two children were completely new to the area.
“We didn’t know anyone, but some of the first people we met were our neighbors [including] Mike and Kristin and their family. Right away, we felt we were in a great place and we’d met great people,” says Dan.
An avid runner for more than two decades (he’ll run his 17th New York City marathon in the fall), Dan took to the streets to train as soon as he moved in.
“As time went by, they would see that I’m a runner,” says Dan of his new neighbors. “Mike said, ‘Hey, I’m a runner, too.’ We started running together and developed a friendship and our families became friends.”
Through his two children, now 13 and 11, Dan met Markovich while coaching together in kids’ leagues. Like DiNicola, who has been instrumental in assisting with fundraising for the Ethan Miller Foundation, Markovich is yet another Song family friend doing all they can to support the Songs in the days since Ethan lost his life. Through the Ethan Miller Song Foundation, the family hopes to honor Ethan’s life by encouraging others to pay forward his ability to share simple acts of kindness and support the many causes that were his passion, while also working to help keep kids safe. The foundation’s efforts include developing educational materials and supporting causes teaching children and teens about responsible weapon use, and focuses on common-sense safety ideas, including safe gun storage (based on global guidelines) and encouraging every community to adopt the Sandy Hook “Say Something” anonymous app. The foundation also supports causes that teach kids and teens about the dangers of opioid abuse, as well as the dangers of texting, drinking, or distracted driving.
Mapping a Course Forward
Being a runner, Dan was inspired to help fuel outreach efforts of the Ethan Miller Song Foundation by establishing an annual 5K event.
“After the tragedy occurred, I ran with Mike a couple of days later,” says Dan. “One of the concerns of the family, among a lot of things in a very dark time, was, ‘We don’t want anyone to forget our son—what are the things that we can do to make sure the issues and things that Ethan cared about can be honored, to the best of our ability?’”
“My response was, ‘Mike, I’ve always been inside the lines of running, I’ve never been outside the lines, but I’m sure we can do a 5K,’” says Dan.
Dan and Mike mapped out the 5K course together.
“The first time we ran it was in the pouring rain,” says Dan. “I was using my watch and my GPS to make sure it was going well. Mike and I have done the SongStrong course 15 times now, maybe more.”
Heading out from Guilford fairgrounds, it turns toward the Guilford Marina, where runners will reach the water before curling back to follow Whitfield Street into the town center, then back to the fairgrounds and the finish line.
“We’re hanging the SongStrong banner across the finish line, so when you come across, there’s going to be that sense that you’re part of something meaningful,” says Dan. “Whether you’re walking or running, we just want you to come out there to be a part of the event at the finish line, to listen to Mike Song speak to the crowd, and to be a part of everything we have planned for that day.”
An early mission Dan planned and completed was to have the #SongStrong5K USA Track & Field certified. His next mission is to make this annual race into the state’s premiere 5K event.
“My humble goal is to turn this 5K race into the best 5K race in Connecticut. I’d like to get there at some point,” says Dan. “That will happen over time here...there’s no reason why this can’t be one of the best 5Ks in the state. So we’re going to work toward that, every year.”
Looking back over what’s already been accomplished in such a short time, Dan says the #SongStrong5K steering committee is overwhelmed by the support shown by individuals and organizations stepping up to help, especially with a brand-new event organized by volunteers and race organization newbies.
“I’ve always admired the logistics it takes to put on a marathon. Taking this race on, I knew I didn’t know everything, but I knew enough to ask those things, so that’s what I did,” Dan says, ticking off support received from organizations and individuals. He adds that area high schools have also been supportive.
“We’ve reached out not only to Guilford High School but to Daniel Hand [HS] and Branford High School as well, so in their communications, they’re also broadcasting the SongStrong 5K,” says Dan. “Everyone’s been rallying around the Song family, from the sponsors to the people volunteering to their neighbors to people they don’t even know. Just the phone calls and emails of support, it’s all been very humbling. And now, this 5K is an opportunity to make sure no one forgets Ethan, which is why we’d like to do this not only this year, but every year. That’s one of the areas the Songs are very focused on—we never want to forget, and we never want to stop teaching and learning from an event like this.”