Nesconset 5K Race/Walk Honors ReesSpecht Life this Sunday

Get ready to lace up your running shoes in Nesconset this Sunday. 

The Nesconset Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Nesconset 5K Race/Walk to benefit local families in needs this Sunday.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Nesconset gazebo opposite the Nesconset Shopping Plaza on Smithtown Boulevard. Cost is $30 per a runner and can be down through the chamber's website, here, or in-person. 

Participants are asked to note that no pets, bicycles, skateboards or scooters are allowed on the grounds during the event. 

This year's race will benefit the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce and ReesSpecht Life, a nonprofit organization founded by two Smithtown teachers to honor the life of their late 22-month-old son, Richard Edwin-Ehmer Specht.

Rich and Samantha Specht created the ReesSpecht Life foundation in their son's memory in 2012 at the suggestion of a family friend. They decided the goal of the foundation would be to "remind people the importance of community, compassion and civility." They aim to encourage others to perform acts of kindness, passing out ReesSpecht Life cards each time one is done. 

A portion of the funds raised at this year's Nesconset 5K will go to the ReesSpecht Life's Richard Edwin-Ehmer Memorial Scholarship Fund, which grants college scholarships to graduating students at Smithtown East and Smithtown West High Schools. 

After the race, the event will feature awards for top runners, refreshments and live music from the Nesconset Gazebo park. All who participated as well as friends and family are invited to attend.