Get ready to try something new, all while making a difference. The Marcum Workplace Challenge is coming to Jones Beach on July 30. The run/walk event kicks off at 7 p.m., with an expected turnout of more than 9,000 runners.
“Our fundraising total pushed past $930,000 in 2018 and based on past trends, we hope and expect to cross the $1 million threshold this year,” Carolyn Mazzenga, office managing partner at Marcum LLP, said.
To help surpass that $1 million mark, Marcum, in partnership with all 23 members of the Long Island Brewers Guild, created the Marcum Workplace Challenge Beer. The special brew is being made just for this event, raising money for Long Island Cares: the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Long Island Children’s Museum, Nassau County SPCA and Children’s Medical Fund of New York.
The 23 breweries collaborated to create the recipe, while Bay Shore’s Ghost Brewing Co. did the brewing for this special beverage.
“The Marcum Workplace Challenge Beer was brewed with every palate in mind,” Paul Komsic, a beer master at Ghost Brewing, said. “We have a little something for the hop heads and a little something for the summer beer drinker. We used locally-grown hops, as well orange, lemon and grapefruit peel.”
People can sample the beer for free at the Marcum Workplace Challenge at Jones Beach. It will also be sold post-race at various Long Island breweries during Craft Cares Week throughout the first week of August. Craft Cares Week is an initiative led by the Long Island Brewers Guild to raise awareness and money for different causes across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
This special beer will be sold in both cans and in a draft form at the different breweries “in exchange for a donation to one or more of the Marcum Workplace Challenge charity beneficiaries.”
“We got involved this year because it’s a great organization that helps local charities, and that’s what Craft Cares is all about, supporting our fellow Long Islanders,” Komsic said. “We are very much looking forward to flipping many palates over to the craft side, through this event, and with the beer.”
Patrick Dooley was the top runner in last year’s contest, clocking in a time of 17:44, with Katie McGrath finishing first in the women’s competition at 21:06.
Overall, 12,000 people, including a partnership with more than 200 different companies, are expected to attend the Marcum Workplace Challenge, making it the largest event of its kind on Long Island.
“I think also the fact that many companies are looking to incorporate wellness and fitness into their employee culture helps drive interest,” Mazzenga said. “The Marcum Workplace Challenge fits that criteria perfectly.”
Not only will it be fun for those running or walking, but for spectators, too.
“The Long Island Children’s Museum sets up activities and craft tables, so young kids who attend have something fun to do,” Mazzenga said. “Long Island Cares also has brought their mascot over the years, Aspara-Gus, the hunger-slaying dragon.”
