Rich McCleary, a 43-year-old Ocean City resident, went for a 104-mile run this weekend.
The ultra-marathon represented a triumph for an overweight man whose heart stopped five years ago during a work shift as a manager at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar in Manahawkin (Ocean County).
It also provided an opportunity to raise money and awareness for Ocean of Love, an Ocean County charity that helps children with cancer.
McCleary began running Saturday morning (May 3) at an Applebee’s in Clifton (near Paterson in Passaic County), and he ran south for 29 hours and more than 100 miles, finishing at his workplace in Manahawkin on Sunday afternoon. McCleary ran with his brother-in-law, A.J. Johnson, stopping to eat, but not to sleep.
McCleary said Monday that he was 135 pounds overweight and out of shape five years ago when he had his health scare at work that landed him in the hospital for five days.
“That was the hit upside the head I needed to change my life,” he said.
He started by walking, often on the Ocean City Boardwalk. He worked his way up to running a block in between two blocks of walking. When he finally completed his first 5-kilometer run, he “thought it was the most amazing thing in the world.”
“The rest was history,” McCleary said.
He has since completed a handful of marathons, and a 100-kilometer (62 miles) run in upstate New York in August. He failed in one prior attempt at a 100-miler.
McCleary knew he wanted Ocean of Love to be the beneficiary of his second attempt to run 100 miles. The Berg family, whose son Tyler lost a battle with brain cancer, had been regular customers, and the Applebee’s staff developed a “pretty huge connection” to the charity that helped Tyler.
McCleary was born in Philadelphia, raised in Ocean City, and he moved back to the island four or five years ago. He has two sons who live with their mother in Little Egg Harbor Township.
He said he was excited at the start of the run on neighborhood roads in Newark, Elizabeth and Nutley. An unanticipated detour near Woodbridge added four miles to what was intended to be a run of 100 miles even.
“That didn’t hit me mentally until we hit Toms River,” McCleary said.
Sleep deprived and exhausted, the demons started to come out on Sunday morning, he said. But he was able to make it to the Lacey Township Applebee’s to eat. He regained even more energy as employees, fire trucks and police cars joined him for the last leg of the run Sunday afternoon just after 1 p.m.
Ocean of Love is still accepting donations on behalf of McCleary and his 100-mile run. To contribute, visit http://www.active.com/donate/100oceanofloverun.
