Shea 5K honors memory of Kittatinny grad

By Laurie Gordon

NEWTON--The Shea brothers stood in front of the crowd to conduct the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the 5-Kilometer race and Mile Fun Run on Sunday under the pavilion at Swartswood State Park. Patrick Shea held the microphone flanked by his brothers Andrew, Tim and Maurice. There was one Shea brother missing: Christopher.
Corporal Christopher M. Shea lost his life in the line of duty in 2004, and for the past 12 years, this race has been held in his memory. Most of the brothers run in the 5K, and over the years have pushed carriages holding their children like Tim Shea did this year. The brothers' kids have grown up and now a gaggle of them run in one of the two races.
“I can't believe it's been 12 years,” Patrick Shea said, “The race has just become a staple in the community and we have such a good group of people and sponsors who support us every October.”
One of the 5K's hallmarks is a Battle of the Badges. In keeping with the fact that Christopher was a State Trooper, different police forces from around the area enter teams. This year, Sparta's Finest was the champion.
Despite having raced an arduous cross country 8K at Lehigh University the day before, Gavin DeYoung, of Green, was the winner of the 5K posting a 20:02. “I love to support this event,” DeYoung said, “It's such a great example of a family coming together in the wake of a tragedy to honor their brother/son/uncle's memory. When he crossed the finish line, DeYoung quickly switched hats from competitor to coach and helped The Bears Youth Running Club members participating in the Mile warm up. The Bears donated hand-made Halloween earrings to the top female finisher overall and in each age group. DeYoung, who attended Newton High School and is now a student at Sussex County Community College went through the Bears Program and when he aged out, came back to volunteer his time as an assistant coach. The female champion was Christine Chapman from Lake Hopatcong.
Corporal Christopher M. Shea was tragically killed in the line of duty when his cruiser was struck head on by a vehicle operated by a drunken driver on July 18th 2004.The annual Corporal Christopher M. Shea Memorial 5k is a yearly event that was started in 2005 to raise money for high school graduates entering the fields of Law, Law Enforcement, and/or other Civil Service. All profit from the money raised is awarded as a scholarship to graduating seniors of Kittatinny Regional High School and other local area schools in honor of Corporal Christopher M. Shea.
“It's so great to raise money for a scholarship of this type,” said Maurice Shea, Sr., Christopher's father. “It's just fantastic to do this in Christopher's memory and hold this event every year.”
The Mile saw kids follow a lead police car around one loop of the camp ground. Molly Riva, of Stillwater, blasted out a personal best for the win. “I was trying to catch the police car,” the sixth grader at The Stillwater Township Elementary School said.